The Threads of Life
by crystaltambaia
Summary: Kel gets back to Corus to find tradegy has struck. Will she ever get over it? Will she learn to love? And what's happening at Mindelan? KelDom
1. Family

**The Threads of Life**

**Chapter One**

**Family**

Disclaimer: This isn't mine.

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Kel gasped, her sharply trembling hand dropping the dry bit of parchment that she had grasped moments before. Her mind was roaring, she didn't know what was happening to her. Memories flashed before her. Memories of her parents, of the Yamani Isles, of her friends. She thought to herself 'How could this happen? How?'

There had been a mass slaughtering at the Palace only days before. Most of her family had been there due to her nephew getting married to a palace heiress. An unknown group had interrupted in the middle of the celebration, senselessly slaughtering her entire family plus a group of Thayet's riders who had been there for the sole purpose of guarding the area. The letter hadn't explained how it had happened. How attackers had managed to get by an entire group of riders undetected, all of them having been killed. What she did know though, was that her life had been shattered forever.

"Ma'am....'scuse me, but are you all right milady?" The messenger who had delivered her letter asked, snapping her out of her reverie. She turned her head slowly up to him, her usually unemotional face conveying her every feeling at that moment.

"Thank you Tobe, but I need some time alone right now," she said glancing up at her ever faithful servant. Her voice had threatened to choke up, but thankfully she had just enough composure to send her servant away.

She wished that she could run to a cliff and jump off, to spare herself the misery of the rest of her life, but unfortunately, there were no cliffs near Port Caynn. She was staying there overnight until the weather cleared so she could be on her way to Corus and holiday, a mere mornings ride away. Oh! If only she had gone yesterday! Then she would be spared this grief and misery.

A knock at her door interrupted her suicidal thoughts.

"Who is it?" She grumbled, sounding more like her hero Alanna the Lioness than her usual self.

"I just came to see if you were alright," said a familiar voice, "I heard the news." The door creaked open against her will, and Domitan of Masbolle, her friend and a squad leader in the Kings Own. She didn't feel like talking to him in the state she was in, so she turned away and choked up her tears.

"I'm fine," she said, trying not to tear up.

"Of course you're not, anyone can see that," he said. She turned around surprised. He was actually being serious, not his usual sarcastic self. "Listen, if my entire family had died today and I was the only one left, I'm sure I wouldn't even exist anymore. I would have given up about five minutes after I got the letter."

"Really?" She looked up at him through bleary eyes. She was touched by his caring.

"Listen, I'll escort you down to the palace tomorrow for the beginning of your 'holiday' as much of one as it will be." With that, he walked out of her room, and Kel stared after him, wondering.

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A/N: This is my first fanfic, if you couldn't tell, but I have loved writing the first chapter! Please R/R, and Ill make the next one faster!!


	2. Friends

**The Threads of Life: Chapter Two**

**A/N:** Well, hopefully no one dies this chapter...And thanks to my one reviewer! And this ones longer!

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The next few days passed by Kel in a blur. She wasn't really paying attention to what was happening to her, she was just letting herself be herded around to wherever she needed to go. Whenever she tried to concentrate, her mind showed her graphic images of what she supposed was the way that her family died. She didn't feel any happiness, no matter what her friends did to cheer her up. Down in the deep recesses of her mind, she knew that she should be training for her return to Scanra in a few short weeks.

She wandered aimlessly down from her room, and somehow found herself in the Palace stables where Peachblossom and Hoshi were currently staying. Somehow, she knew that they would help her think. She went to brush Hoshi, and found Tobe already doing it for her.

"Ma'am, I'm sorry, I'll leave now," he said, racing to put away his brushes and sponges, having just given her a bath.

"No, no Tobe you keep doing what you're doing," she said, waving a careless hand. He noticed that her hair was unbrushed and her whole appearance was slightly disheveled. He wondered what she had been doing – obviously nothing that would help her heal from her families' death. She walked off until she found a horse that looked like it belonged to the Palace, so therefore, no one would mind if she groomed it. She didn't feel like avoiding Peachblossom's nips today. It really was a beautiful horse – sleek and black to perfection. She was lost in her own little dream world. Here, she could forget about her life and fret about the beauty of another's.

"Uh...Keladry...?" A mans voice questions. She started and looked around. It was the king. No surprise registered on her face, perhaps because she was trained not to show, but more likely because she really wasn't surprised; she just didn't care. "Were you aware that that is my horse that you are so kindly grooming?"

Kel looked back around at the horse. It was his horse! If she had been her normal self, she knew, she would have noticed. As it was, she was not her normal self, so she hadn't noticed. She also finally registered who it was she was talking to, and how much she disliked the man, no matter how important and kind he was said to be. She didn't care! She brushed past him forcefully, tears in her eyes, out of the stable. Jonathan stared after her. He realized that she was not okay, and someone needed to talk to her. She needed to know that life goes on. No, she would never forget, but she would have to deal.

Kel walked away, slightly ashamed of herself for not bowing to the King or something of that regard, but most of her just didn't care. She ran out of the stables and nearly bowled someone over. To her chagrin, it was Dom. Flustered, she picked herself up.

"I'm so sorry!" she said, blushing. Oh, why did she have to blush? She didn't even like him! Dom looked at her and chuckled. When he saw her face, he stopped and became serious and business-like.

"Look Kel, we need to talk. You can't just ruin your whole life over this fact. There are people out there who care about you, and you are just making them feel unimportant and unloved. In fact, your best friend tried to come and talk to you yesterday and you threw one of your Yamani cats at him."

"I did? He did? Oh no," she groaned, "I have to go find him!" She ran off, and Dom felt good, having made her forget, if only for a minute.

Kel ran off away from Dom, intending to go to Neal's rooms to apologize, but he wasn't currently occupying his rooms. The fact that he wasn't there caused Kel's worries to begin again. What if he hated her now? What if he had changed rooms specifically to avoid Kel? Somehow, she knew this wasn't true, but the worries kept resurfacing as she sat down near his room.

"Excuse me, can I help you?" Kel looked up, surprised that she hadn't heard this person approaching. It was Duke Gareth the Younger of Naxen. She looked up confused, and then stood up.

"Oh!" she said to herself, and ran off. She had gone to the wrong room! She had somehow come to the wrong wing of the palace or something. She walked off, trying to orient herself so that she could figure out where she was. She ended up walking back outside, straight into a sweaty Neal! She backed up, confused. Training was the last thing Neal would want to do on a day like this. Neal grinned at her, happy to see his friend finally out and about.

"The flower has finally risen!" he exclaimed sarcastically. Kel looked at him.

"Oh Neal, shut up," she said surprising herself. He pretended to be taken aback.

"Me, shut up? Why, who would not want to hear the somber tones of my voice in harmony with the wind?" he became serious then. "Kel, we're all worried about you. I know we can't heal your wounds in a day, but if you'd listen to us, I think that your life would become much easier." Kel stared up at him.

"Don't care," she mumbled to herself, then stood up and started to walk away. Neal ran after her and pulled her back. She pulled away, but stopped.

"Kel, listen you need to go on, if only because you are going back to Scanra in a few weeks and can't be distracted otherwise you'll be killed, and so will everyone else you are commanding. Think of it this way, you'll not only be responsible for your own death, but the deaths of countless others. You wont be remembered for all the good things you did, just that." Something clicked within Kel in Neal's tirade. She realized that, even if she died, she couldn't bear to be responsible for other people's deaths at the same time. She looked up at Neal, and pulled a tentative smile, her jaw wobbling from this strange new use. He smiled back, slung his arms around her shoulder, and they walked up to the palace together to get some dinner.


	3. Funeral and the Fort

The Threads: Chapter 3  
  
***** A/N: Well, I'm writing this the same day as I wrote Chapter two, so there's only been one more review. Thanks AJ whoever you are! So far, in my two reviews, there's been no criticism, so now I feel happy! Ahem, on with the story. Oh and sorry its so depressing...itll get better ;)  
  
***** A slow, solemn song was played by a band, all in black. There was a slight breeze, a prelude to spring. The sky was blue, and there were no clouds in sight. It was a beautiful day, but no one was enjoying it. Instead, chairs were out, filled with hundreds of people. Naturally, since the funeral was not just for one person, or even one family. As well as Lady Keladry's friends and some third cousins twice removed that were the only family she had left after the murder, also present were the families of the riders that had been massacred. It was especially saddening, because none of the girls were older than 20 or 25. In some far reaches of her mind, she knew that she should be grieving for them as well, for their ruined families, but she couldn't. It just wasn't fair!! 'Why do they only get away with one death, when my entire family is dead?' she thought to herself. She watched as slowly the procession of coffins went by, one after another. Faintly, she heard some sobbing, and felt angry. 'They don't know hurt' she thought, 'not until they've been through what I have.' Yuki, her Yamani friend, was sitting next to her. She looked at Kel, slight concern showing on her usually emotionless face.  
  
"Kel? They're bringing your parents," Yuki whispered. Kel. She looked up, her face wracked with grief.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~ (hehe I love making pretty patterns with these)  
  
It was a few weeks after the funeral, and Kel was slowly returning to her regular schedule. One sunny morning, she could be found out at the practice fields, the first time since coming back to Corus. She had set up the hardest target – a whippy willow ring that only the most skilled of jousters could touch, let alone get their lance through. It didn't help that it was also a breezy day, which made the usually jumpy ring totally hyper! She was riding her large strawberry-roan gelding, Peachblossom today. She whispered into his ear the words that Daine had taught both of them, in order to avoid the spur (A/N: took me the longest time to remember that word) "Charge," Peachblossom jumped ahead at full gallop towards the ring. Kel set herself, and sighted the target. The lance went through the middle of the ring, and it snapped off. She could hear clapping by the fence, a reminder of the time that Raoul had chosen her as his squire. The sun was blocking her view however, so she trotted up to her audience. Shading her eyes, she looked down on a smiling Neal and a blue-eyed Sergeant. She grinned down at them, and then jumped off of her horse.  
"How are you doing these days?" Dom asked, "I haven't seen much of you around."  
"Well, you know, I was keeping busy for my return up North. I still haven't been told where I was posted." A shadow passed in front of her eyes, and Dom knew that no matter how much she looked like she had healed, she was still hurting from the events of the last few weeks.  
"When you two are done staring at each other, I will mention that my stomach is starting to get rather grumbly, and as much as I hate those vegetables, I wont get any less hungry standing here." Kel looked away from Dom blushing and hiding her face in Peachblossom. Little did she know that Dom was also blushing just a few feet away from her. Neal looked from one to the other, grinned, and then raced up the hill to the palace.  
"Last one to dinner's a rotten egg!" He called laughing.  
"Hey, no fair, I still have to put Peachblossom away!" Kel protested, also grinning. She jumped on his back and galloped to the stables. When she got to the stables she slowed down to a walk, and then hopped off his back, leading her horse inside. It was in fact, very relaxing to rub him down and talk about her problems to him. He was a very smart horse, and a very good listener, even though Neal said he was a menace and should be shot down (jokingly of course). After talking some things through with him, she jogged up the menace of a hill that led to the palace. She slowed her pace as she walked into the dining room. Looking around, she tried to spot Dom or Neal, but before she could, she was assaulted by a medium-sized whirlwind.  
"Kel! I'm jolly glad you're back! It's been so boring with just Meathead and his cousin here!" Kel laughed and smiled at Owen of Jesslaw, but before she could reply, a drawling voice answered Owen.  
"And since when have I become the Meathead to you? What is this world coming to?" he sighed melodramatically. Kel stifled a giggle, then ran into the ever growing line to get her food.  
"Well, since Neal looks occupied, may I have the honor of joining you in this line?" Kel looked up into Dom's piercing eyes and gulped. 'Think Kel, think,' she thought to herself, and then realized she was thinking, a thought that made her smile at herself.  
"Of course you may good Sir," Kel replied just as seriously, fighting to keep a straight face. He then elbowed her, ruining the moment and they pretended to fight until someone yelled at them to move up in the line. They got their food and sat down with Neal, and waited for Owen who was just getting his food.  
"So, there any other knights down from Scanra yet?" Kel asked in between bites of food.  
"Not that I know of," replied Dom, "But then, I'm not the knight of the family."  
"I'll have you know—," Neal started.  
"That a knight from Queenscove, yadayadayada," both Kel and Dom finished at the same time. They looked at each other and laughed. Neal pretended to look downhearted, but unfortunately failed, because at that moment, Owen came up and managed to drop a hot bowl of soup on his feet, which caused him to jump around looking much like one of those monkeys that Kel had read about. Even though the scene was hilarious, she did feel sorry for the newly made knight, and helped him mop up, then went to get him some more soup. Throughout the rest of dinner the three boys and Kel laughed and joked. When she was back up at her rooms, she sighed, 'Just like old times,' she thought to herself. Of course in "old times" she hadn't known Dom, Neal hadn't been in love – well, not really – they hadn't been to war, and her family still existed. She felt tears prickling the corners of her eyes at those thoughts, tears that had been threatening all day, but before she could feel too sorry for herself, someone knocked on the door.  
"Come in," she said, hoping that whoever it was could cheer her up. When she looked up, Raoul had stepped into the room.  
"Hello Kel, I came to tell you your assignment for the next few years, or however long it happens to be." He smiled at Kel, but then became serious again, "It's a new fort, just built, called Asilo. Lord Wyldon and I decided it would be a step up in commanding for you as it is nowhere near any of the other forts." Inwardly Kel sighed. As much as Raoul tried to make it sound good, Kel knew that they were still babying her.  
"Am I to have soldiers at this – fort –?" Kel asked.  
"In fact, yes, you will have some squads from the King's Own. I think you know Sergeant Domitan?" He inquired. At that, there was a knock at the door, and Dom himself stepped into the room. He saw Raoul talking to Kel, blushed furiously, and turned around.  
"I-I'll just wait outside then," he said. Raoul turned around.  
"No actually, you can stay, we were just discussing you." Dom turned around and tentatively took a chair.  
"You-you were?" He asked.  
"Yes, now, as I was saying Kel, Sergeant Domitan here will be commanding the three squads that are to be with you. You will be leaving in two weeks. I will discuss more with both of you later." With that, Raoul got up and went out of the room. Kel watched him leave, and then got up, clearing her throat meaningfully. Dom looked up at her, and then stood up quickly.  
"Oh-oh yes, well, I was just coming-to-uh-," Dom was confusing her.  
"Yes?" she encouraged.  
"Well, uh, Neal mentioned that you, well you didn't have an escort to next weeks Spring ball, and well-I-was-wondering, well if you would like me to escort you?" The last part came out in a rush. Kel's eyebrows lifted, giving her a look of faint surprise, then smiled. She nodded, then blushed herself.  
"Oh! Well, I guess that's-um-settled then isn't it? Well, I'll see you later Lady Keladry. I have-uh-sentry duty to attend to. Yeah, that's it." He walked out, leaving a confused Kel. 'Sentry duty? In the middle of Corus? I thought they had the Guard for that.' Oh well... ************ A/N: Well, the end of that chapter had a much nicer and lighter note – see, didn't I say it would? Anyway, I've already written part of Chapter four, so it should come up quickly. I'm having fun with this! PS: I forgot the disclaimers for Chapter 2 and this one so here's the disclaimer for the rest of the story: I don't own anything that is Tamora Pierce's. There happy? 


	4. The beginning of the Ball

The Threads of Life: Chapter Four  
  
A/N: Sorry this took so long. I've been really busy with end of school rush and suchlike. This will be another fluff chapter, then on with why someone wanted to kill her family, etc. Disclaimer: Not mine.  
  
"What about this one? This one looks nice. Green brings out the green in your eyes. Oh! And look at this one! This one has SUCH a pretty shade of blue." Yuki piled two more dresses on Kel's ever growing pile of them. They were in Corus, at Lalasa's dress shop. Lalasa was out, and she told Yuki to look around for some dresses, and then wait till she got back to fit them. It wasn't that Kel minded dresses in principal; it was that she hated SHOPPING for them. She sighed, resigned to a few hours of torture before Lalasa showed up again.  
  
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Kel looked down, swishing the swishable fabric around, delighting in the lovely sound it made. She loved this dress, and wouldn't have gotten any other. The only unfortunate point was that Lalasa had refused payment for it.  
  
"Now, look at yourself in the mirror Kel." Yuki sounded like a mother hen when she said that, and because of that, Kel obliged.  
  
"Wow, Yuki, you can really do hair!" Kel exclaimed, surprised, when she looked at herself in the mirror.  
  
"Okay, but now its time to hide some weapons in all that fancy garb." At that, Kel turned serious. She knew that whoever wanted her family had to have had some reason for it, and they were likely to be looking for her too. They laid some knives out on the bed, ones that could easily be concealed, and put them on Kel. Forty-five minutes later, the door knocked and Neal's voice could be heard crooning through the door to Yuki.  
  
"Oh, my beloved! How I waited this day for this very moment to arrive!" Yuki rolled her eyes and sighed, going to the door. A dramatic Neal seized her up and proceeded to exclaim upon 'how beautiful your eyebrows are looking this night.' Kel looked up into the grinning face of Dom, and her heart started to beat faster. 'Why?' she thought to herself. 'Why does he do this to me?'  
  
"Hello Kel, I've come to save you from my moronic Meathead of a cousin."  
  
"Did I just here the word Meathead, cousin? Because of course, you would never call me that," said a voice over in the direction of Neal.  
  
"I wouldn't think of it," sniffed Dom, pretending to be high and proper. Kel and Yuki both giggled and tugged their respective men's sleeves, dragging them out of the room. They walked down the corridor, laughing at Neal's antics and sorry attempts at poetry. They finally reached the main doors leading to the banquet hall. Kel expected that they were going to pass these doors and go in the back way, since they weren't important enough to be announced. Her thoughts were wrong.  
  
"You can go first Meathead," Dom said.  
  
"You mean, we have to be announced?" Kel asked. 'This can't be good,' she thought.  
  
"Ye-es...we have to, its only proper," Dom said, looking down at Kel's frightened face. "What's the matter? Its only a dinner party. You'll be fine."  
  
"I can't go down there by myself," Kel said. Dom frowned.  
  
"Who said you're going by yourself? I'm your escort, we go down together." Kel started to smile, relieved. At least she wouldn't be going down by herself. No, in fact she couldn't think of another person that she would rather go down with. At Kel's smile, Dom smiled too.  
  
"Well, we better get going," he said. He offered his arm, which Kel took, hiding her eagerness at the fact that she could touch Dom. They walked through the doors and to a man who asked their names. Dom answered.  
  
"Sergeant Domitan of Masbolle of the King's Own and Lady Knight Keladry of Mindelan." The man nodded and announced,  
  
"Sergeant Domitan of Masbolle and Lady Knight Keladry of Mindelan." They walked forward, and Kel whispered,  
  
"He forgot the King's Own part," and grinned. He pretended to be hurt.  
  
"And here I was hoping that Lady Keladry wouldn't notice the shame that he put me through by not announcing my name." He smiled and they walked down the stairs, arm in arm, to the dinner.  
  
A/N: Sorry, its extremely short, but I HAD to get a chapter up, its been almost a month....yeah I'm extremely bad... Don't forget to review. Constructive criticism is shined upon (shone upon?) 


	5. Thoughts

The Threads of Life  
  
Chapter Five: Thoughts  
  
A/N: Okay, this is getting hopeless...This is my FIFTH chapter, and I only have seven reviews. And I know there are more people reading it, because I'm on the favorites list of a person who hasn't reviewed...grrr... yeah anyway...sorry about that. I would like it if you reviewed though, it would be very nice. Darn, I also have writers block.  
  
On with the story!!

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Kel looked around, feeling rather lost. The ball was beautiful, but there was something missing. Every time someone came to her looking to dance she refused, but she wasn't quite sure why. Every time she even thought of dancing, floating forms clouded her vision. She, not being a mage, couldn't even tell whether they were real. They had been haunting her this entire night, and she couldn't get rid of them. The shapes were of her family. The thing was though, they didn't look happy. Their faces were pained and she cringed every time she saw them. Was there something wrong with her? What were they? Suddenly, something touched her arm and she jumped. From behind her came a deep chuckle.  
  
"Generally people have fun at balls – that's what they're there for after all." She attempted to grin up at Dom, but her smile faltered, and she looked down hoping he wouldn't notice. No such luck. He frowned.  
  
"Kel, what is the matter? You've been standing still as a statue all night, hardly moving, but obviously looking at something." Kel looked up at him, and suddenly, she went warm. The cold she hadn't noticed that she felt suddenly went away, and her insides melted. Her stomach flipped before she could think anything more. His caring almost made her want to cry, mask or no. Unbidden, a lone tear made a track across her face. She quickly looked away, once again hoping he wouldn't notice. Once again, she had no such luck.  
  
"Kel, I just – well, I just wanted to say that, if you ever need to talk, I'm here for you." With that, he gave her a quick hug and walked away.  
  
She stared after him and realized that her haunting visions had disappeared while she was talking to Dom and so had her depression. She felt light hearted and happy whenever she saw him, but she wasn't sure if it was a good thing. Shouldn't she be worrying more about why her family was killed rather than if she loved Dom.... 'Hang on,' she thought. 'I never said I loved him. I don't! I can't! How can I be allowed to love?' She thought on that track for a while until she was completely and thoroughly confused and had a marvelous headache. Once again, a stranger came up to her and asked her to dance. She decided that she had been mean long enough and agreed. Unfortunately, the shapes came back. She had such a pained look on her face that her dance partner finally asked if she was ill. She nodded and escaped, ducking under the mans arms. She looked back at the man and realized it was Merric! Of all people, she hadnt recognized him! Something really was the matter...

She decided that she had been at the ball long enough and slipped out quietly. Once again, she realized that while she was thinking of Dom, the shapes had disappeared...she didn't notice one lone shape following her...

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OH NO! What are these shapes and who's following her?

A/N: Once again, I'm SORRY!!!! It's soooooo short, but you see, I wanted a cliff hanger, and there is where it happened to be. Since its short, a.) I'll get another one up quick, and b.) you should be able to review that much quicker ;)

Until next time, this is Crystaltambaia, signing out...


	6. Threats and Tactics

The Threads of Life  
  
Chapter 6: Threats and Tactics  
  
A/N: Thanks to my reviewers. Hey, I would reply, but I myself don't like it when half the story is taken up by replies that I haven't read, so just imagine what I would have replied, and that's that. Hey, and stuff actually happens this chapter to get Kel un-depressed, or at least get her mind off the past.  
  
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"There have been reports of attacks on some of the Northern fiefs. This isn't good – it means that Scanrans have gotten past our northernmost defenses and are starting to make their way into Tortall itself." King Jonathan of Conte's face was screwed up with concern. The others in the room could tell that he was having problems. Kel was starting to feel sorry for him. No one ever said ruling was easy.  
  
They were ensconced in a miniature conference room originally intended for a commander to talk with his second. Unfortunately, there were ten people in the room. Jonathan and Thayet obviously were there, along with Raoul and Buri, as they were commanders of the Own and Riders respectively. Kel was there because of her involvement in the Own, and Dom because he was the only available second of the Own. Daine was there acting for herself and Numair who was off doing business. Duke Baird was there for delegating Healers along with both Gareth the Younger and Older to take notes. Alanna was on leave at her home in Pirate's Swoop. Kel was surprised as when she had first looked in the room, she doubted that she herself could fit in.  
  
"Jon, what if we sent small groups up there to scout out the areas, send us news, and possibly find out about further attacks?" That was Raoul.  
  
"It's a good thought, but where are there groups that have worked together long enough? The Rider groups would work, but I think they're too big for your plans," replied Jon.  
  
"Yes, but there are groups of Knights and others who have worked together for a while and if they brushed up on small group commanding and other things, they could be good," piped up Dom. Jon looked at Dom, and a small smile formed on his face.  
  
"That could work. Raoul, could you talk to Wyldon and possibly Padraig to dredge up some good working teams of squires and knights? There should be one knight per group, and the groups should be about, what say? Five or six members large? You too Buri, find Riders who work well together."  
  
"Yes sir," Raoul replied and bowed his head before dismissing himself, along with Buri.  
  
"As for the rest of you. Duke Baird, if you would be so kind, could you get together a list of Healers? Preferably ones that have some scouting and fighting background. We need them in our groups too." Duke Baird also nodded and went out.  
  
"Daine, you should probably just scout around, same as Numair. Try to find out as much as you can about these attacks. See if there is a pattern. Basically your job is the same as the Rider groups." Jon then turned to Kel.  
  
"Keladry, if you want to have more time here, I will understand. But we do need you." Kel struggled to get anger not to show on her face. He just assumed that she was too emotional to cope! Just like the man. She calmed herself and replied slowly and evenly,  
  
"Sir, I think it will help if I was put out with the others. It will help keep my mind off...things."  
  
"Very well," Jon replied. "You and Sergeant Domitan will report to Raoul when the time comes. He will tell you your jobs." He dismissed them both with a slight nod. Kel and Dom walked out together into the deserted hallway.  
  
"That was one of the shortest meetings in history. I guess Jon doesn't like long meetings anymore than the rest of us," Dom said. Kel grinned up at him.  
  
"Just as well," she replied, "If it had been any longer, I think m'lord would have refused to help him."  
  
"And he got out earlier than we did!" Dom mock groaned. "What is this world coming to?" He wondered aloud. They both laughed, then walked in companionable silence for a while. When they reached Kel's turn off, they stopped. Once again, Kel noticed Dom's uncanny handsomeness, then realized that he could never possibly like a girl like her. She was too bulky and muscular, not pretty and petite. Suddenly, she realized that he had been saying something.  
  
"What?" she asked. Dom grinned.  
  
"I said, what groups do you think m'lord will put us in? I hope they don't put Meathead in my group." He pretended to swoon. "Whatever would I do?"  
  
"I think it would do you good," Kel replied. "You could practice your marksmanship on him."  
  
"I must admit he would make a good target," Dom said thoughtfully. He looked down at Kel, and for a moment, she thought she saw him swallow, a thing she had noticed he did when he was nervous. 'He's nervous around me?' she thought, but then dismissed the idea when Dom next spoke, concentrating on his beautiful, rich voice. She shook her head. What kinds of thoughts were those? She would be proclaiming her love for him next!  
  
"I must take my leave of you, ma'am, though I am sorry to be leaving such a radiant beauty to find her way back to her quarters." Kel laughed, and said goodbye, walking to her rooms in a much happier humor than before.  
  
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A/N: Sorry, I would make it longer, but if I did, I wouldn't post nearly so often, so its six of one, half dozen of the other. I'll be back for more! And, I'll try to make it more romancy...there hasn't been very much opportunity for it yet, but there will be, mark my words. PS: Remember to review! 


	7. Squads and Snow

The Threads of Life  
  
Chapter 7: Squads and Riding  
  
A/N: Thanks for reviewing! Keep it up. I'm going to be gone for two months, and as of this moment, I'm not sure if we'll have internet, so I'm going to post a quick chapter, then I will be posting extremely sporadically, if at all. SORRY. I will be back though!

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Lord Raoul of Goldenlake, Commander of the King's Own, looked down at Keladry and Domitan, both of whom were in his quarters for a meeting.  
  
"Well. Kel, I know you were supposed to be posted at the fort, but obviously, these are more pressing matters, and you should probably be in one of these small groups." Kel nodded. "Another thing," Raoul added, "I know that you and Sergeant Domitan here work well together and have in the past, but I think that it is too much to ask that two of our few commanders be in the same grouping together. Instead, our plans are that groups will be posted in twos. That is, two groups will patrol separately but within range of each other, and will meet up with each other every few days or so to report. We'll have you two be in separate groups but in the group pairing. Kel, you will be commanding yourself, Owen of Jesslaw and three squires. Dom's group will include Nealan, whom I am sure you know." Raoul paused, and then grinned at Dom's expression.  
  
"YOU CAN'T!!! I will not comply...sir," he added as an afterthought.  
  
"Well, as an alternative, Neal could command instead." Raoul's eyes twinkled, and Dom's mouth opened and closed, rather like a fishes. Kel covered her mouth with her hand to stop the giggling.  
  
"Your other group members, if you have decided that you really want to be the commander, will be Merric of Hollyrose and two green riders." Dom nodded, finally getting more serious.  
  
"Sir," Kel ventured, "Where are we going to be placed?" Worry was in her eyes, but unfortunately Raoul had no good news. Raoul sighed.  
  
"If you can handle it, you will be stationed at Mindelan. You know the area. It has been watched over by the Mindelan town leader, so you will not have to worry about controlling the fief." Kel bit her lip, then looked down and nodded. Raoul softened.  
  
"You don't have to be situated there, if you don't think you can deal." Kel looked up at him, her usually dreamy hazel eyes burning with fire. The thought that she shouldn't be crossed when angry flitted across both men's minds at the same time.  
  
"I will."  
  
"Well, that's settled then. You will be leaving tomorrow. Gather your groups – here are their names and where there rooms are – and brief them on their jobs. You leave at first light. Good luck." With a quick hug to both of them, they were dismissed, Kel and Dom going their respective directions to collect their groups.

* * *

Kel shivered. It wasn't a pleasant morning to be riding in. The wind was fierce and biting, and freezing rain (A/N: wouldn't that be ice?) poured down on top of them.  
  
"Here it is, April," she muttered to herself, "and still there are freezing windstorms. Mithros."  
  
"Is mother upset that her younglings will catch cold in the rain?" a familiar voice asked. Kel scowled.  
  
"Didn't your mother ever tell you to talk polite to her?" She replied as an all-too-cheerful Neal rode up next to her. He reigned his horse in, seemingly thankful that she wasn't riding Peachblossom, who would have tried to bite him by now.  
  
"Of course. But you didn't think I listened, did you?" Neal joked back. Kel shook her head in mock disappointment. She was used to his jokes, and, she realized, would probably be thankful for them by the end of the trip.  
  
"We've got to be off," she said, "I'll talk with you later, young man," She reined Hoshi around and looked at the two squads. In face of the rain, she thought, they looked pathetic.  
  
"Okay, we're off!" she shouted, not given to big, rousing speeches. Turning back around, she started off.  
  
It was a long, cold, miserable first day. They attempted to stop and eat, but after a few minutes, their food got totally soaked, and was inedible. It was also too freezing to stop.

* * *

Three days later (A/N: I actually have no idea how long it would take to get to the Mindelan area from Corus...) they rode to the outskirts of their patrol area. It had cleared up somewhat, but was still very cold, and the threat of a storm hung above them. Kel stopped Hoshi and reined her around so that she could address the men, for they all were men except for her.  
  
"Here's where we split up. I will take my group, and we'll go East, and Dom's group will go West. We'll get to our camp areas and set up. Then the respective commanders will tell you your jobs." The men nodded, and once again, they were off.  
  
At their campsite, the setting up was not going well. They discovered that several of the tents poles had frozen and cracked and were unusable. Instead, they had to use sticks.

Kel decided to go foraging for good wood that wasnt frozen to use as tent poles. As she went out, she took a pack that included enough for one person for two days and a tent herself -- you could never be too careful in places were it might storm at any moment. She walked past the scouts and saluted them, then marked her position by the newly- come out stars.

Two hours later, Kel had to admit that she was hopelessly and completely lost. Currently, she was shivering in her tent held up by frozen poles that could break at any moment and waiting for the sudden snow storm to die down. 'One good strong gust of wind, and this tent is done for,' she thought. 'Please just say that gust waits until morning.' The gods obviously didnt hear her plight: five minutes later, her dinky tent was gone, and she was left in the cold once again. Panic raced through her already chilled heart. She needed to find shelter, and fast, otherwise her squads commander would be a dead one.

After ten minutes of fruitless searching, Kel was starting to feel drowsy. 'No! I cant! I'll freeze. I dont want to die, please gods help me.' Possibly, this time the gods were listening, because she looked up and saw a nearly invisible sheltered alcove. She practically barreled towards it and dove inside, only to find a very surprised pair of blue eyes looking up at her...

* * *

What were the chances? She asked him.

"Well, I needed to find some wood for tent poles for my group," he began. At that, Kel grinned. He noticed, and frowned. "What is it?" he asked. Kel shook her head.

"Nothing, keep going."

* * *

Well, this took a while, and as I said, theres prbly not going to be another one until the end of august. That doesnt mean you cant review!!!


	8. Facing your Fears

The Threads of Life: Chapter eight.  
  
Facing your Fears  
  
A/N: First of all, thanks for the reviews. You can ask questions in your reviews if you want, and I'll answer them here. So far, I've mainly got 'good job,' but that's not a bad thing.... If you read my HP fic, you would have found out that my dad brought my computer, so now I can post stuff a whole month earlier than originally planned! Yay!

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On to the story:  
  
_This chapter needs a recap: _

_She practically barreled towards it and dove inside, only to find a very surprised pair of blue eyes looking up at her...  
  
What were the chances? She asked him. _

_"Well, I needed to find some wood for tent poles for my group," he began. At that, Kel grinned. He noticed, and frowned. "What is it?" he asked. Kel shook her head. _

_"Nothing, keep going."  
_  
"I guess you got lost like I did" Kel said.  
  
"A Sergeant never gets lost, Lady Kel." Suddenly, Kel sobered.  
  
"I'm not a lady, but my mother was..." Dom jumped.  
  
"Kel, I'm sorry – I didn't mean to..." Kel cut him off.  
  
"It's nothing," she said. She turned away and stared at the packed earth, trying not to blink. Her eyes were stinging from tears that had suddenly appeared.  
  
"Kel..." Dom said desperately, "Its not nothing." He reached out and touched her shoulder, vaguely surprised by the feeling he got by touching her. Kel shrugged his hand off, and tried to turn more. Unfortunately, the little alcove was much to small for that.  
  
"Go away Dom, I don't need you." This time, Dom grabbed her shoulder more forcefully and turned her around.  
  
"Kel, you need to talk about this. If you don't right now, then you never will. Just talk, I won't say anything." Kel looked up at the Sergeant, her eyes bright with tears, yet there was a dark shadow hidden in her eyes. She was ashamed by this show of emotion, yet she couldn't help it.  
  
"I-I can't," she began, but was cut off by Dom.  
  
"Yes you can, Kel, I believe in you."  
  
"Y-you do?" she asked, incredulous. Dom nodded. Kel shook her head. "No you don't, you're just saying that to make me feel better."  
  
"No I'm not. It might not sound truthful, but out of all the people I know, you are the one I most believe that can cope with something...like...that." Kel looked up accusingly.  
  
"See?" she said, "even you can't say it. Say it Dom, otherwise I won't." Dom looked away thoughtfully.  
  
"Kel, unless you come to terms with your own loss, I can't say anything. I can help you, but I can't do it for you."  
  
"Then – then I won't do it." Kel choked on those words. Somewhere deep down, she knew she had to admit it – her parents were dead, her brothers dead, her uncles. Suddenly she looked up, her eyes no longer teary. Dom was startled to see fire in those usually calm and dreamy hazel eyes. "But I will get them. Whoever did it is going to pay – with their life." Dom stared at her, shocked. He felt sorry for whoever's fault it was. They were going to pay, he knew. To get her mind of it, he turned to her.  
  
"Kel, you should probably get to sleep. We can find wood once the storm stops." Kel looked up again.  
  
"You don't understand," she said. "None of you understand. I can't sleep. They come...those...things..." Now she wasn't looking at him. She was looking wildly into space, not seeming aware of Dom. She was muttering under her breath as well. Once again, Dom reached over and touched her shoulder, this time rubbing it, trying to calm her down. It seemed to work, as her eyes slowly closed and she leaned her head on his shoulder, asleep. Dom smiled, and closed his own eyes.

* * *

A/N: Happy? I would have written more, but I'm not really feeling it right now. Bye! Crystaltambaia

Please review?


	9. Revelations

**The Threads of Life: Chapter Nine **(wow I can't believe I've written that much already)  
  
**Revelations**

A/N: Thank you for the reviews!

* * *

Kel woke up with a start and looked around – where was she? Her legs were cramped, and so was her neck. Then she felt something warm beside her. She was lying on Dom's chest. What happened? Then she remembered. It all came flooding back – getting lost, talking, crying, falling asleep, and those nightmares. Involuntarily, she shuddered, then she jumped up, hitting her head on the low top of the cave. Rubbing her head, she gently tapped Dom.  
  
"Dom, wake up!" she said. She grimaced – she had to get back to her squad. "Dom, you need to get up now!" Dom's eyes fluttered and he opened them sleepily.  
  
"Have a good sleep Kel?" he asked, with a tired smile. Kel frowned.  
  
"Not now Dom! We need to get back to our squads!" He jumped up.  
  
"Mithros, you're right! And we didn't get any fire wood either!"  
  
"Lets just go, there're probably twenty troops from your squad looking for you, they love you that much."  
  
"There's probably that many for you too."  
  
"They don't love me that much," argued Kel.  
  
"Yes they do, but this isn't the time for arguments, lets go. And anyway, our squads only have five people in them." Kel nodded and they both scrambled up out of the cave thing, which on reflection, was actually a tree root with a large hole in it. Kel shrugged and turned around almost knocking into someone. That someone grabbed her in what she guessed was delight and shouted,  
  
"Hey Merric! It's JOLLY! I found Kel! And Dom! They were together under this tree!" Kel laughed and shushed Owen. She didn't want him reading too much into the fact that her and Dom were together. "What happened Kel? Wasn't that a jolly snowstorm last night?" Kel grinned, her heart warming at the sight of the over enthusiastic young knight.  
  
"I was looking for wood last night and so was Sergeant Dom. We got caught in the snowstorm and holed up for the night. That's all," she warned. Owen got the point, but unfortunately Merric, who had just trudged up, hadn't.  
  
"Sergeant Dom," he nodded formally. Dom nodded back. "Have a good night with mother?" he asked cheekily. For some reason, Dom blushed. He couldn't fathom why, and Kel didn't fail to notice. She frowned, wondering to herself why Dom would blush about that comment.  
  
"Insubordination, Sir Merric, get back to your camp," she joked, but then sobered. "We really should get going, we've lost almost a whole half day of scouting." She saluted Merric and Dom, then went the opposite direction with Owen.  
  
"Y'know," said Owen, "We actually _didn't_ lose a half day of scouting. Or at least, our group didn't. I had the three squires scout while I met up with Merric and his two green knights to look for you and Sergeant Dom." Kel beamed at him.  
  
"Owen, for an annoyingly chipper young knight, you have good foresight." Owen beamed back at her and they made their way back to camp. Kel changed and went out scouting for the rest of the day.  
  
Meanwhile, Dom and Merric were on their way back to their campsite.  
  
"So, Dom –," Merric began.  
  
"That's _Sergeant_ Dom to you, sir," said Dom cheekily.  
  
"Anyway Dom," said Merric, completely ignoring what Dom had just said, "How _was_ your night with mother? I noticed you were staring at her quite a lot when we found you. You two didn't, you know --?" Dom turned red.  
  
"NO! This time, it really is insubordination."  
  
"Denial is the first step, sergeant," said Merric.  
  
"I DON'T like Kel!" protested Dom, but then realized his slip. Unfortunately, so did Merric.  
  
"I never said you liked Kel," Merric said, grinning. Dom turned away and didn't speak to Merric again until they got back to camp. The thing was, he wasn't sure what he felt about his fellow commander. He _said_ he didn't like her, but after last night, he wasn't so sure. The things he had felt when he touched her shoulder, and how he had felt so protective of her while she was so vulnerable last night...

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A/N: Well, that was short, but it was also yesterday that I posted the previous chapter, so there you are then. Review please. BYE! (well until tomorrow or something...)  
  
Crystaltambaia 


	10. Mindelan

**The Threads of Life**

**Chapter 10** (Into Double Digits!)

**Mindelan**

A/N: Thanks to my reviewers! Keep it coming! Also, this chapter has a lot about the layout of Mindelan, which I assure you is all in my imagination.

* * *

It was a cold winter morning and Kel was scouting in the forest a few miles southwest of Mindelan. She was starting to get frustrated. 'There must be something out here, else why would Lord Raoul send us out here? They must have scryed something.' These thoughts and others filled her mind as she scouted rather lazily. Finally she made up her mind. Jogging back to camp, she got out a piece of paper and scribbled a note.

"Nothing out while scouting this morning, leaving to visit Mindelan around noon, be back in three hours – Kel."

Even though it hurt her to think of going back to her home, devoid of her family, she decided to do it. If she didn't do it now, she wouldn't ever be able to do it. Anyway, she was the sole heir of Mindelan now. It was currently being watched over by a steward trusted by her parents until such time as she could come back and reclaim it.

A half hour later, Kel was coming to the end of the forest. She relaxed a little bit coming into the familiar territory. She followed the river that she had fought the spidren at all those years ago, before she had become a knight. Getting closer, she realized that it was very quiet. She could see the walls of Mindelan now and there weren't any guards patrolling them. At that, she frowned. Was this steward so naive that he thought there couldn't be any attacks? With the war, especially, there should be double the guards. She proceeded carefully, wary of any noises. Getting to the gates, she shouted.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" She waited a couple of seconds, but then a smiling guard popped his head over the parapet.

"Name and purpose?" he asked. She sighed in relief. She had just been imagining things. This guard was being very good and thorough.

"Keladry of Mindelan," she stated. "Visiting." The guard looked faintly surprised, but nodded.

"Wait a minute. I have to check with the Steward and then we will open the gate for you." She nodded acknowledgment and waited outside. A few minutes later, the gate was opened by two under-nourished guards. She raised her eyebrows at that. Either there wasn't enough food here, which was likely, or the steward wasn't giving them good rations, which could be likely if he was greedy. She proceeded through the eerily quiet town and up to the big house where her family used to live. She was greeted there by a small mousy man in regal robes she supposed were worn to make him look bigger. His voice was even squeakier.

"Lady Keladry, what a pleasure to have you here! We weren't expecting it. I'll order a feast be prepared right away." Kel held up a hand to forestall any further speech.

"You don't need to do that for me. I've been walking all day. I'd really like a bath." In fact, she didn't want a bath – she had been out for much longer in much worse conditions before, and taking one made her feel a little guilty, but it would get this man out of her hair and give her a chance to look around while walking to her rooms. "After that, I would like to meet with the Steward here, and then I really must be going." The man's face fell. She wondered why.

"Miss, I am the Steward. My name is Reeve." At that, he signaled two servants that had been lurking by the door of the house. "These servants can take you to your rooms." Kel shook her head and dismissed the servants.

"Thank you Reeve, but this is my house, I know how to get to my rooms." She gave him a diplomatic smile and turned around in the direction of her rooms. As she walked, she thought. She felt slightly bad that she hadn't realized the little man was the Steward, but not that bad. For some reason, she disliked him strongly. He seemed a little too much like a rat for her liking. A thieving one at that. She also wondered at the servants. While her family had been alive, they had been well taken care of and happy. They were also friendly with the family. It didn't look like Reeve had been to friendly with either the house servants or the guard.

* * *

Getting to her rooms, she didn't draw a bath. She took out some paper and began to write everything she had seen while being here. She tip-toed outside and walked to the end of the hallway down the servants' stairs to the kitchen. Looking around, she could see no-one, so she walked down and found the trapdoor she knew was in the floor. She lifted it out and stepped inside. She ran quickly down the dank, dark passage until she came to another trap door. She lifted the cleverly made fake stone and found herself outside the fief walls.

Once outside, she gathered some nice branches and stripped them with her dagger. She lay them in a Yamani symbol that she had taught Neal: one for 'information,' and dug a hole next to them in the snow. Once she got to the packed earth, she picked up another branch and scraped out a hole in the ground. She lay the paper inside the hole, and packed the earth back together. She only hoped that the paper wouldn't rot. Then, she got back inside the passage and walked back, thinking about her plan. It looked like something ominous was going on inside Mindelan, and she was determined to get to the bottom of it. She had left the note for the squads to find if for some reason she didn't return inside the three hours, one of which was already gone.

She got back to her rooms with ease, and washed her face of the sweat and grime it had on it. She then slipped on a dress she had had in her rooms from the last time she had been here. She grimaced as she realized it was three inches too short, but went to work hiding daggers in her dress as only she knew how. After fifteen minutes, there was a knock on her door.

"Come in," she said, and a timid looking girl of about fifteen opened the door.

"If it pleases you miss, I was sent in here to dress you." Then she looked at Kel and realized that she had already changed. The girl turned bright red.

"Thank you kindly miss --?" Keladry asked.

"Rae, miss. Can I help you find anything else to put on miss?" Kel cringed inwardly at the girl's nervousness. She tried to speak gently.

"Rae, I would like you to lead me to where I can speak with Steward Reeve. Can you do that for me?" Rae nodded, and ducked out of the room. Kel followed after twitching her dress to better hide a dagger.

Rae led Kel to the main hall, and brought her inside. Two stony faced guards shut the big double doors ominously behind her. She still couldn't shake that feeling of foreboding. Looking ahead, she saw the Steward sitting alone at the High Table. It had obviously been brought out since he had taken control, since the Mindelan's didn't use a high table. She walked up and bowed, even though that made her feel inferior in his eyes, since he refrained from bowing in return. He motioned to the seat next to him and she walked over and sat down. She frowned at the food. She decided not to eat it, but instead cut it up and made the food look like it had been eaten.

During dinner, she attempted to make polite conversation with Reeve, but to no avail. He just answered in short, curt statements. All the while, his eyes were nervously flicking towards the door. Kel frowned, and wondered what he was up to. About halfway through dinner, there was a noise outside the door and Kel looked up. The doors slowly opened, and a tall, regal looking man with white hair swept through. He was eerily familiar looking. As he got closer, Kel gasped. Reeve smirked.

"Burchard!" she managed to choke out. She tried to stand up, but couldn't. The man grinned evilly.

"Burchard of Stone Mountain," said Reeve. Once again, Kel tried to move, but to no avail.

She was trapped.

* * *

A/N: Uh OH!!! This chapter was all plot and no romance, but it's getting interesting isn't it? Is Burchard the one who killed Kel's family? Reeve? Or someone else? Tune in next time for another episode of "The Threads of Life," written and directed by Crystaltambaia. (hehe that was fun!) Anyway, I hope you like it! This is one of my longest chapters, but there isnt much dialogue. Have a good day!

Crystaltambaia


	11. Search

**The Threads of Life, Chapter Eleven**

**Search...**

A/N: Thank you soooo much reviewers! I had mixed reviews about the Burchard thing, but he WAS a bad guy when he first met Kel. Or at least, he attacked her. I also needed to find an enemy that everyone knew, so I wasn't like "Burchard," and people would be like, "who?" Anyway, on with the story...

* * *

Kel's squad's camp was empty. A slight breeze blew through it, ruffling the naked branches. Some snow started to fall, and by the fire, a small piece of paper rustled. The wind dislodged it from its place and it fluttered away, coming to land a little ways outside the camp.

* * *

Owen and the three others came back later that afternoon to find that Kel had not returned. They searched for a note in the place they agreed one would be put if there was a need – by the fireplace, but there was none there. Figuring she had gone out foraging and had forgotten about the note, they got a campfire set up for dinner and went out to hunt some food. Because it was winter, however, the food was scarce and all they managed to get were some little birds and a white rabbit that had been scared out of its hole. By the time they returned, it was dark out, and Kel hadn't yet come back. Owen started to get worried.

"Kaven, will you ride over to Dom's camp and inform him that Lady Keladry is missing and ask him to come over? Thank you." The man Kaven nodded. He was a swift rider, and so was Dom. Owen estimated and hour and a half for them to go the distance between the camps, giving time for Kaven to rest and report. To keep the other two busy, he instructed them to light two branches on fire and search for clues as to Kel's disappearance.

"Check around for anything that would indicate a struggle, like she was taken." Satisfied that things were being done, the ever optimistic Owen began to make a dinner, figuring that the search would make them all hungry.

* * *

A little over half an hour later, Kaven arrived in Sergeant Domitan's camp. He skidded the horse to a halt and was challenged by the guards that had been set out. He showed them the official Tortallan seal, and they nodded, waving him through. He came to the Sergeant's tent, dismounted, and went inside.

Dom, who was checking maps, looked up, surprised to see the knight he recognized as being from Kel's camp.

"What is it?" he asked. Kaven was breathing heavily, but managed to get out the message.

"Kel – gone missing – Owen – wants you over – there – now." He gasped out that last part, and Dom stood up, all business.

"There's a pail of water by the fire. Get a drink and rest. I'll start off now – you have a faster horse, so when you feel rested, you can catch up with me." With that, Dom raced over to where his horse was tied up. He quickly put the tack on and leapt on the horse.

"Merric's in charge. I have to ride to the other camp," he shouted, and with that, he was off.

Riding through the bare woods at night was eerily scary. There were no sounds, and every time Dom's horse stepped on a twig, he jumped. When Kaven finally caught up with him about halfway, Dom breathed an inaudible sigh of relief – now at least, there was another person. They didn't speak, as both did not know the nature of Kel's disappearance, and reasoned that they could be being followed at that moment.

* * *

They reached Kel's camp just as Owen had finished making a dinner for the two tired men. They gratefully accepted the food, while Owen filled them in on what was happening.

"We came about mid-afternoon and there was no one here. We searched for a note, finding none. We searched, and sent Kaven out to get you. After that, Kaven came back with a note," he stopped there, and handed Dom the note that Kel had written. His eyes widened in shock.

"That was over eight hours ago! She said she'd be back in three. She NEVER does that. We have to go looking!" Dom looked at Owen as if expecting an answer. Owen shook his head, his reason overcoming his optimism.

"It's too late. We wouldn't be able to see any clues without being spotted by the guards at Mindelan. Kel can take care of herself..."

"But --," Dom protested, then wondered why he cared so much about what was happening with Kel. He was sure that he wouldn't mind a couple of hours wait if it was someone else. Owen shook his head.

"No Buts. You need to get to sleep though, we have a busy day coming up tomorrow." Dom nodded, and took the extra blanket that Owen offered him, preferring to sleep outside by the fire in case something happened.

"I'll take first watch," volunteered Dom. Owen nodded, then assigned the other watches.

"Kaven, take second watch. Lucas and Jerrold take third, I'll take dawn watch. Any questions?" All three young knights shook their heads, went into their tents and fell asleep. Owen stayed up for a bit with Dom, but gave up trying to make conversation after his fourth question met with no response. After he went away, Dom was left alone in the still night, staring up at the shockingly clear sky. His mind wandered to Kel. Was she alright? Where was she? What had happened? If they had hurt her—Dom shook his head. Why was he so worried? Plenty of his friends had gone missing in combat, and he hadn't thought so much about them. Plus, Kel was a knight, something that he wasn't, and could perfectly well take care of herself, if she so chose. He thought about Kel for a long while, worrying himself into a right state. After a while, he had to admit it – he liked her as more than a friend.

"I like her, okay?" he whispered fiercely into the dying fire, "Are you happy now?"

"What's that?" someone said behind him. Dom jumped, startled, then found it was only Kaven.

"Time for second watch already?" Dom asked. Kaven nodded, and Dom heaved himself up, groaning. 'I'm not getting any younger, that's for sure,' Dom said to himself, and grinned. He saluted the young knight and went over to his bedroll. He turned over and went to sleep, and in his mind were images of a certain knight.

* * *

Dom woke up to a nudge from Owen. He opened his eyes and saw a false dawn coming through the trees.

"Thanks Owen. We need to get started early to have the most possible time to search, and possibly rescue." Owen nodded in agreement.

"I'll get the others up, and we'll start up. I think I'll ask Lucas to stay here and keep watch." While Owen went to get the others, Dom fetched some snow from the ground and melted it over the still-hot embers of last night's fire. He splashed that on his face and, feeling much revived, met with the others.

"Lucas, you will stay here and watch over the camp. If anyone from the other camp comes over, tell them where we are. Under no circumstances should you talk to anyone else." Lucas nodded. "Jerrold and Kaven will come with Sergeant Dom and me. Since he is the senior officer, from now on we will be taking orders from him."

"At least until we get Kel back," he said, smiling grimly. The other men bowed their heads for a couple of seconds. Dom waited while they did so, and then shouldered the pack he had made for the journey.

"Lets get going, shall we? We will be riding for the first part of the journey, but when we get within sight of Mindelan, we will be continuing on foot. First, we will search the area for clues, then, depending on what we find, if anything, we will make a plan from there." The others nodded, and they were off.

* * *

Meanwhile...

Kel woke up, her head banging as if it had been kicked against a hard stone wall repeatedly. She groaned, and her eyes fluttered open. She blinked against the strong light, not expecting it. Finding herself lying on something hard, she tried to roll over and see what it was. Her head protested horribly at that, swimming violently, threatening to make Kel's world go black again. Kel settled with just lying down with her eyes open. She stared at a shockingly white ceiling, wondering where she was; she didn't remember a room like this when she was living at Mindelan. How long she stayed like that, she didn't know, but she did know how many lines there were on the ceiling, and certainly knew who's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Ah, our guest awakens. Good morning Lady Keladry." Though she could not turn her head for fear of fainting in front of Burchard – for that's who it was – she did not fail to answer him strongly.

"Burchard!" she spat, "You'll pay for this! I won't give up without a fight, and by the time I'm through with you, you will regret ever having lived. You're fifty times worse than your son ever was." Kel was now livid, all traces of Yamani training gone, for she had realized that this was the man that had ordered the killing of her family. Why, she did not know, but she knew that he would have jumped at any chance to kill them. Burchard just laughed.

"My son was right..."

"What about?" Kel almost screamed.

"You certainly have spirit, if not anything else..." he smirked wickedly and swept out of the room. Kel just sighed.

* * *

A/N: Well, that was my longest chapter to date, as it should be, since its been forever since I've updated! And even though its nowhere near the length of some fanfics, it IS a personal best for me, so hurrah! Anyway, have a good day...

Crystaltambaia


	12. And Rescue

**

* * *

**

**Threads of Life: Chapter Twelve**

**...And Rescue**

A/N: I want to post a special response here. It's to Aly of Pirate's Swoop. The compliments she gave me were probably some of the best I've ever gotten for my writing. Thank you so much! Oh and sorry, I forgot that Neal was in Dom's squad. I didn't really mention him...I'll add that back in :)

* * *

Dom and the others arrived at Mindelan around daybreak. For the last mile, they had left their horses and continued stealthily on foot. So far they had noticed no sentries, which they thought was weird. From what Kel had told Dom of Ilane and Piers of Mindelan, she would have posted scouts out here, especially in these times of war. Approaching the river at the end of the forest, they slowed down. Dom turned to the others.

"Here's where we split up, men. What we're looking for is a sign, probably in Yamani, that Kel left. I think she taught you all the Yamani help signs, right?" The other men nodded. "If you find anything, bring it back here. We will all meet here in another hour to check in. Jerrold, you go around back. Kaven, you search the woods. I'll search the front, and Owen, you search everywhere else." Owen rolled his eyes at that, but nodded.

"Jolly good, sir. We're going to find Kel if it's the last thing we do. Besides, if we don't, I think our poor Sergeant here will go throw himself in a lake," finished Owen wickedly. Dom found himself going red, and turned around so no one could see. He cleared his throat, then turned back round.

"Well," he said, "What are you waiting for? Get going!" The others scrambled off to do their respective spying, and Dom was left alone for a minute. He sighed, 'Am I really that obvious?' He shook his head no, telling himself that Owen had just guessed very well. He set off to do his portion of searching, though he doubted Kel would have left anything at the front of Mindelan.

The first half hour was fruitless, mainly because Dom spent the time avoiding a parade of troops that were drilling in front of Mindelan. He ended up watching it, waiting for them to be done. He winced along with the unfortunate drillees, who looked no more like soldiers than Dom looked like a pirate from the Copper Isles. Luckily, they had been at it for a while, and it was starting to get warmer, so before long they went back into Mindelan. For a few seconds, Dom wondered why soldiers were being trained at Mindelan without Kel's authority, but dismissed it as something to ask Kel when they got her. '_If_ we get her,' a reasonable part of his mind said, but he dismissed that as well. He was _not_ going to let one of his best friends – the girl he was possibly in love with – die.

He crept up to the wall, unseen by the guards, who evidently thought that the likeliness of an attack was low. He was lucky that there was an overhang, which put him in darkness. Sidling along the edges of the wall, he kept his eyes out for anything unusual, which he saw not long after he began searching. Close to the wall, there was a large stone, and next to it, lying in the half melted snow, was an array of sticks. To most people, the sticks would mean nothing, but they were stripped of their bark and put into a pattern which he recognized as Yamani. Quickly, he dropped down into the snow next to the sticks and dug. Once he got through the layer of frost, he looked for an area of dirt that would be freshly dug up, not frozen. He found it. Excitedly, he dug through the dirt, and when he found the paper, held it up as if it were a prize. He tucked it into his jacket, and in his excitement, forgot to be careful. He was spotted.

"Hey! You there! Who are you and what are you doing?" Dom grimaced, then ran. The guard shouted to someone inside the walls. "We have a spy! Alert Lord Burchard now!" Dom gasped at the name, but had no time to wonder, because they had started shooting arrows. He prayed that none would be lucky enough to hit him in the fifteen feet he had left to go to the forest. None did.

Once inside the wooded copse, he didn't stop. He did slow down, however, in order to cover his trail. He doubted these guards were very good trackers. After covering his trail for a while, he made his way back to their meeting place by the river. The others were already there. Had it been an hour already? He walked up to them.

"We heard guards shouting," said Jerrold, "Was that you?" Dom nodded with a forced smile.

"Yes. Let's just say that even commanders make mistakes. I did find something though." He took the paper out of his jacket and opened it. "It's a letter from Kel. To Dom or Owen or Merric or Neal: There has been an overtaking here at Mindelan. At this point, I do not know the full extent of it, but I'm sure that by the time you find this, I will. Something is wrong, but I can't leave now. If you get this, it means I am captured. Do not risk getting me out." At that, Dom stopped and rolled his eyes.

"That's Kel alright," said Owen, "Always playing the jolly hero."

"Anyway," continued Dom, "For spying purposes, there is a passage under the rock that is by this letter. It leads to the kitchens. I understand if you don't want to risk yourselves by going through, but if you do, I ask you this: Don't let yourself be caught. There is a steward here, but I believe he is not the real villain." At that, Dom stopped, wide-eyed. "Burchard! Of course!" The others gave him questioning looks. "When I was running away from the guards, they said something about notifying Burchard." Owen shuddered, and the other two just shrugged.

"Burchard of Stone Mountain," said Owen by way of explanation. "The father of the evilest page and squire ever known."

"We have to go down that passage and save Kel," said Dom. The others hid grins, and Dom wondered what Owen had been telling them before he arrived.

* * *

An hour later, they were in the passage. Their plan was simple: rescue Kel. They reached the end, and Dom turned around to face the others.

"Okay men, here's where we split up." They all nodded, their faces serious, and Dom lifted up the trapdoor carefully. He looked around, but there was no one there, and he signaled the all-clear. He clambered out and kept watch for the others, but the passage was deserted. They split up for the second time that day.

* * *

After an hour of fruitless searching, Dom was ready to give up, no matter how much he did or did not love Kel. He wandered aimlessly down the passages, and by an insurmountable amount of luck, stumbled right into the room where she was kept.

Kel was shocked. She had heard the door open, and groaned. It was probably Burchard, come to torment her some more. She tried to move her head, and found that it didn't hurt as much as it had before. The person she saw made her gasp. It was Dom!

"Wh-wha-?" she gibbered. Inwardly, she grimaced at her speech, but then she remembered. "Wait! Don't close the door! There's an inward locking spell on it." She stared at him, suddenly registering just who it was. "What are you doing here?" she said angrily. "I told you not to risk it!"

"I thought maybe you wanted a gallant prince to rescue you," he said charmingly. Kel scowled.

"I did not want a charming prince to--," her speech was forestalled by Dom, who held up a hand.

"If you indeed want to leave, we better get going now." Kel nodded, then stood up. Her head swam, but she did manage it. Taking the steps to Dom took all of her energy, and she practically collapsed into Dom's arms. He led her out of the room, first checking to make sure no one was coming. As soon as they were out, Kel shrugged out of Dom's grasp.

"I DON'T need your help." Dom shrugged.

"Suit yourself." By another stroke of luck, they managed to get to the passage without getting caught. To Kel's utter disgust, he carried her into the passage, telling her to start her way to the end while he waited for the others to check in.

* * *

Dom laughed at his day. He had had one miracle after another, the latest one being getting back to their camp without being noticed. Those guards truly were horrible, and half of them were probably still out in the woods searching for him. Once they had gotten to camp, Dom had told Kel to go to bed, which inevitably led to a large argument over whether Kel was actually hurt or not. Dom won, but only because he threatened to tell Raoul never to let Kel go scouting alone again.

That evening, he went to check on Kel in her tent. He lifted the tent flap to find her sitting up, looking very guilty. Dom laughed.

"Planning on sneaking out, were we?" At Kel's look, he sobered. "Look, Kel, I'm really sorr--," he was interrupted by Kel, who stood.

"You should be," she said coldly, no emotion visible on her face.

"I-I had no reason to shout at you like that." He stepped forward, closer to Kel. Her proximity to him made him feel uncomfortable. Luckily, it was too dark for Kel to see him blushing.

"I didn't either," admitted Kel, who looked up at him. Blue eyes met hazel and locked. The words caught in Dom's throat, and he swallowed, suddenly very nervous. Then he decided. He leaned down and quickly kissed Kel on the lips, trying to ignore the sudden flare of feeling he had felt upon touching her lips. He turned around and walked out of the tent, bright red.

* * *

Kel stood in the tent, frozen from shock, her fingers touching her lips.

* * *

A/N: FINALLY!! Took me long enough, huh? It took all my resolve not to say "Kel stood there, completely poleaxed," which is the line from Squire, but I didn't. What's going to happen? Will Kel return Dom's feelings? What happens when Burchard finds out Kel is gone? Will the Neal finally find out what's been happening? See all this on the next episode of "The Threads of Life."

Crystaltambaia


	13. I Can't

**The Threads of Life: Chapter 14**

**I Can't**

A/N: I'm SOOO sorry that it's been so long, but like I said on my other fic, I just started school and it's been really hectic. I haven't had time to write at all. And yes, I did get Kel out of Mindelan very quickly: that wasn't the usual "capture" scene where she's tortured and stuff. I wanted it to be different, and also, I didn't need for her to be captured for months at this point in the story. Thanks a bunch for everyone else who reviewed, and keep it up!

* * *

Kel woke up to sun streaming through her half open tent flap and a too-cheery Owen standing next to her.

"Wake up, sleepyhead! We've got a big day today. We're going to get that big mean Burchard! Or at least, if you say so, Sir." Kel rolled her eyes at Owen.

"For the last time, Owen, don't call me sir," she paused, seeing the glint in Owen's eyes. "Or Mother, or Protector or M'lady." She almost grinned at his crestfallen look.

"Yes, m'lady." Kel rolled her eyes, but then sat up, horrified.

"What time is it? Where is everyone?" She asked the second question meaning Dom, because she had remembered what had happened the night before.

"Three hours before noon and Dom is gone." Kel sighed. Dom must have told Owen what he did, and knowing Owen, the rest of their squad would know too.

"Owen, for your own good, don't say that name for the rest of your life." She nodded her dismissal and Owen went out of the tent. She sat down on her bedroll and relaxed her tense muscles. What was she going to do about Dom? She had had a crush on him years ago, and she had tried to drown those feelings out when with Cleon. It was just that for every person she had ever had a crush on, her feelings had faded after a while. She didn't want to hurt Dom like that, if her feelings did fade. She laughed at that – she had just admitted to herself that she still DID have feelings for the handsome blue-eyed sergeant. And that kiss...she had felt like she was melting inside when he had kissed her. Even though it was short, he had put so much feeling in it. But what had he meant by it? Was it just some stupid bet that he had made? With these thoughts and many others, she went outside.

"Morning men," she said. They turned around, and Kel could have sworn she saw Owen smirk.

"Morning lady Kel," said Jerrold cheekily. She mock frowned at him.

"What are we doing this morning, sir?" Kel sighed. Were they ALL in on this name-calling business?

"First of all, we will be scouting until lunchtime. We regroup back here and report. Jerrold will take notes. After we need to hunt for dinner – anything you can find, it's sparse this time of year. We will scout for a few more hours after that, and then regroup and have dinner. I will need Kaven to report to Sergeant Dom in the other camp at that time. Take Jerrold's notes with you. The Sergeant should be sending someone to report here too." The men all nodded, and Kel was relieved that none of them had decided to call her by yet another of her embarrassing nicknames. Owen looked disappointed that she didn't tell him to go kill Burchard at Mindelan. She had decided to stay away from that place for a while until she had a plan. And that plan probably involved help from the other camp, which she wasn't keen to interact with just yet.

* * *

They split up, and Kel reveled in the silence that surrounded her once she left the nice, but somewhat rowdy men. The forest around her was beautiful: the snow hadn't melted and was resting on the treetops like in paintings she had seen at Corus. It was all so majestic and magical that for a few moments, she forgot where she was and what she was doing. She went back to her task, but her mind wandered to a pair of blue eyes and soft lips...

* * *

It was now afternoon and Kel was hunting for some dinner. She deviated from her normal scouting area so she was now more easterly. She told herself that it was because this was a less hunted area, but if it was really because it was closer to Dom's camp, she ignored it.

She turned when she heard a branch snap loudly behind her and a male voice cursing loudly. She looked up into a pair of mischievous green eyes.

"Neal!" she said, trying not to laugh. She ran up and hugged him, but then drew back and looked at him mock-annoyed. "You would have gotten weeks of stable duty for that as a page, and I'm surprised Alanna didn't scare that kind of thing out of you." He scowled at her, pretending to be hurt.

"And here I was rushing over to give my best friend a nice long hug. It seems that you weren't her. I say, have you seen any other tall female knights around here?" Kel kicked him playfully.

"How have you been, Nealan? I haven't seen you once! I even saw Merric and those other two, but not you!"

"Oh well, you know, I was busy..."

"Too busy to see your best friend?" she asked, pretending to be shocked. Neal turned red and mumbled something. "What was that?" she asked, "I didn't hear that."

"I was writing to Yuki," he said, embarrassed. Kel laughed.

"Yes, how are her eyebrows these days?" Neal had to laugh and they fell into conversation, Kel giving up on finding her dinner. The first twig snap would have scared away all of the game anyway. After about fifteen minutes, Kel found herself in sight of a camp. At first she thought it was hers, but she saw Merric and stopped dead.

"Neal," she said softly, "Why are we at your camp?" For the second time that afternoon, Neal turned red.

"We-ell, I thought—," he began, but then saw Kel's face. Why hadn't she thought of this? Of course Dom would have told Neal what he had done. They were cousins – CLOSE cousins at that.

"Neal, I can't," and she turned around and fled. In retrospect, Kel realized that it was probably a very stupid thing to run off. Dom would know that something was wrong, decide not to like her, and she would never be able to sort things out with him. She calmed down when she got within a mile of her camp. She was very late and they hadn't even gotten to their second round of scouting, but she decided that she'd had enough for tonight. It was getting dark and they wouldn't get anything done. Near the camp, Jump came towards her with a squirrel in his mouth. He offered it to her, and she petted him in thanks. At least she would have dinner.

When she arrived, she was pelted with questions from her concerned charges, and she felt her insides go warm when she realized how much they cared. 'But why would they care so much about me?' she wondered, but then shrugged it off.

While the dinner was cooking, another twig snapped. She looked up but couldn't make out the figure dismounting from the horse in the darkness.

"Who goes there?" she asked, and took a sharp breath when she heard who answered.

"It's just me Kel – reporting." It was Dom. She stood up and looked around, noticing that the rest of the camp had conveniently made themselves scarce when Dom had arrived.

"Oh," she said, not feeling comforted at all. He walked over to her, and she could see his handsome face, the firelight flickering around it, making patterns of dark and light.

"Kel? I need to report," Kel started, but then nodded. She had been so lost in his face that she had forgotten his need to report.

"Well, we found nothing of interest today, save two traps obviously meant for large mammals. Since most of those are not around, we speculated that they might be for humans, seeing as you escaped yesterday." Kel sighed. She had forgotten that she was mad at Dom for rescuing her.

"Look, Dom," she started, but was interrupted by Dom.

"Kel, uh, about yesterday." Kel winced, knowing what she had to say.

"Um...about that. Look Dom, we're in a professional situation here. We don't have time to go about making the emotional attachments that could get us killed." Her throat caught and she couldn't continue. She felt tears burning at her eyes, but she knew it was the right thing to do. She finally plucked up the courage to look up at Dom, and nearly ran from the torrent of pain she saw pouring from those beautiful eyes. He swallowed and responded.

"I understand," he said, and left. She sat down on the rock by the fire, and in a rare show of emotion, cried.

* * *

AN: First of all, I apologize in advance for any spelling or grammatical errors that might have occurred while writing this chapter. I couldn't spell or right grammatically today. Also, I noticed that some readers think that Kel is totally devoid of emotion, or of showing it, which isn't true. If you had to break someone's heart that you truly loved, you would be crying too. And I know some of you are mad that they didn't get together this chapter. They will! I just don't want it to be all la-di-da happily ever after the end. I want it to be more like real life. Anyway, please please please review!!! I would love that so much. And I'll update soon, I promise!

Crystaltambaia


	14. Life's Too Short

**The Threads of Life: Chapter 14**

**Life's Too Short**

A/N: First I have to apologize, because I'm usually a stickler for grammatical stuff. In the author's note in the last paragraph where I was apologizing for any grammatical errors I said right instead of write. Told you I wasn't feeling good! I don't know what came into me. Anyway I'm sorry, most of you probably don't care about that kind of stuff, so you can just totally disregard any of the prior paragraph and read the story coming up! And thanks for the reviews; they were so great that I decided not to make you wait another month! Aren't I kind?

* * *

Kel woke up with a crick in her neck and she rubbed the painful spot sleepily before she opened her eyes. Looking around her, she was horrified to find that she had fallen asleep outside on the rock that she had cried on last night. Remembering her lapse of control then made her remember the reason for the lapse of control and she groaned. She had broken the heart of a man that she could be in love with. 'Am I crazy?' she thought, but then shook her head to clear it and stood up.

"Men?" she called, looking around. They all poked their heads out of their tents rubbing their eyes sleepily and she wondered what time it was. Looking at the sky – or as much of it as she could see through the trees – she sighed. It was just false dawn. And she had been planning to let the men have a day of rest. She looked at the men and almost laughed when she saw how alert they were trying to be.

"Well, if any of you can get back to sleep, do so, and sleep as long as you want. If not, come with me. We need to hunt." Owen and Kaven got out of their tents, but the other two went back inside. She sighed in resentment at the two men who could go back to sleep. If she was woken up, she could never get back to sleep.

"Milady?" asked Owen.

"Yes?" she said shortly, ignoring his choice of title. It really was much too early to be getting up, but she reasoned that there might be more game at this hour.

"D'you think we should split up? We might cover more ground that way." Kel nodded her agreement.

"And milady?" asked Kaven. "I have to report to you from the other camp." Kel looked up, startled. She had forgotten about that. Although, mentions of the other camp did bring on memories of blue eyes filled with pain. She felt her eyes filling with tears and she looked away.

"Go on," she said, and he reported. Nothing much had happened, seeing as Kel had been with members of the other camp only the previous afternoon, and anything big would have been reported already.

They finally set out after getting their gear out and set out in different directions. Although she didn't know why, Kel went east, towards THE camp.

* * *

On the way over, she found nothing, but reveled in the calm that the long walk gave her. After about an hour and a half, she saw some people through the trees and frowned. They were disturbing the game! But as she got closer, she saw it was Neal and Merric.

"Neal! Merric!" she called softly, and they looked up, surprise showing on their faces.

"So you heard, Kel?" asked Neal worriedly.

"No. What was I supposed to hear? What's happened?" Kel felt worried. Neal wouldn't be this serious for just any old reason. Something must have happened.

"Dom never came back last night," said Merric.

"What?" asked Kel, shocked. Her head filled a maelstrom of emotions, but she was determined not to let them show.

"He said he was going to report over at your camp, to talk to you. But he never came back." Kel shook her head. It was all her fault! Nothing would have happened if Dom hadn't been heartbroken.

"That's my fault. Last night, he—," Kel faltered. She wasn't used to talking to people about things like this. "Well, he told you about what happened...the—the other night?" Both Neal and Merric nodded, grave. "I—I said that we shouldn't—well, we couldn't have a relationship in this kind of—of situation." Then Neal said something that made Kel wonder why she ever thought he was stupid in any way.

"But you love him, don't you?" Kel nodded. She was so surprised at his remark that she agreed. And when she did, she realized the truth of it. She did, but she didn't want him to get hurt. Look at all of the other people she had loved—they were all dead.

"Well, let's go then. We must find him before the end of today, otherwise it might be too late." Kel and Neal both nodded in agreement, and they set off.

* * *

Hours later, there was still no sign of him, but suddenly Kel remembered something that Dom had told her last night.

"Wait! Neal, Merric!" The two men turned around, questioning looks in their eyes. "Last night, Dom said something about big traps being found. Do you know where they are? He could have stumbled into one last night." At Neal's horrified look, she realized that she was probably right.

"Let's go. We've no time to waste. Those things spread infections like wildfire!" Neal ran off back in the direction of his camp, Kel and Merric following. It was about twenty minutes before they got back, and Kel was surprised they had searched that far, as they had been searching pretty thoroughly.

Through the trees, in the opposite direction from where they had been searching, about a mile from camp, they could see a figure. It was covered by a black cloak and lying prostrate on the ground, but Kel could tell who it was—Dom. She ran over and fell to her knees in the snow, carefully turning him over. 'Please let him not be dead!' she prayed. She looked at his face, white with cold, and thought the worse. Behind her, she heard Neal say something.

"Move Kel, we need to get him back to camp." She moved to the side and Neal hefted his cousin up onto his shoulder. Kel and Merric both rushed to assist him. They understood that Neal didn't want to waste his gift on levitating Dom, but as they walked back, he did pour warmth into him.

* * *

Finally they arrived at camp and put Dom in his tent. Kel and Merric were sent outside while Neal worked on Healing Dom. Kel paced restlessly until Merric told her to stop. Then she just twiddled her fingers. She was so worried. What if he died without ever knowing how she felt? Finally, after what seemed an eternity, Neal ducked out, and Kel looked up at him, worry straining her face.

"He's alive," he said, sighing. Obviously, he had been totally drained.

"Neal, go lie down, I'll watch Dom." Neal started to protest.

"We will come get you if anything happens," said Merric helpfully, and Neal gave in. Not able to wait anymore, Kel ran into the tent and dropped to her knees by Dom's bedroll. She looked at his handsome body, and her heart clenched. Suddenly, his eyes flickered open and a smile came to his mouth.

"Dom! You're alive!" she said ecstatically.

"Kel?" he said weakly, "You came?"

"Of course I came you big buffoon. How could I not?" Dom and Kel looked at each other, their eyes locked. Kel's heart felt like it was on a racecourse, it was beating so fast.

"Look, Kel—," Dom began, but Kel cut him off.

"Don't say anything," she said, and swiftly leaned down to kiss him. Passion flared up between them and Kel felt weak. Her hands leant on his shoulders, and his were holding her waist. They broke apart and stared at each other breathlessly. Kel took a deep breath.

"I just—Dom, seeing you like this, almost dying today—it made me realize that life's too short for love." Dom suddenly smiled brightly, his whole face lighting up. "And I'm sorry about what I said, I—," but this time it was Dom who cut her off with a kiss.

* * *

A/N: Yay! Happy ending! And I don't have much else to say but please review!

Crystaltambaia


	15. Intermission

**The Threads of Life: Chapter 15**

**Intermission**

A/N: I'm sorry about what I said about the "ending" last chapter. All I meant was it was the end of the chapter, not the end of the story! I got very confused when I got reviews saying that people hoped that it wasn't the end, but then I read my author's note again and was like "ahha!" Anyway, I'm thinking that I'm probably about halfway through (that's why the chapters called "intermission" hehe), so expect there to be about thirty chapters total. Anyway, have fun with this chapter, it's going to be very fluffy, so if you don't like that, don't read it. It's sort of living up to its PG-13 rating. (And excuse me if the fluffiness isn't all that good, I'm not used to writing lots of fluff, since I'm usually a leading-up-to-the-first-kiss type of person. If that makes any sense...lol. Well anyway, read on!

* * *

"Kel?" asked Dom. They had been sitting together talking for some hours and Dom was getting tired – his leg was bothering him.

"Mm-hmm?" said Kel sleepily.

"It's getting pretty late. Your camp is probably waiting for you." Kel sat up suddenly. She had completely forgotten about them!

"But—I don't want to leave!"

"I don't want you to either, but if you don't get out soon, everyone will start to assume things." Kel grinned weakly at this and Dom continued, "Do you think we should tell them?" Kel sobered, but then shook her head.

"I don't want this to interfere with our jobs here. I don't think they should know – otherwise they'll think that in times of peril, we'll choose each other over someone else. They won't want us to command."

"I disagree with you on that – we have great men. But it's your choice. I don't mind either way. As long as I can keep kissing you," Dom grinned and Kel slapped him playfully.

"You monster," she said, but then heaved herself up, groaning. "I'm getting old," she mused. "Will I be able to see you tonight then?" She looked down into his bright blue eyes, twinkling with happiness and felt her heart start to speed up again. But if she kissed him now, she would _never _get out. "Goodbye Dom!" And she walked out.

"Goodbye, my sweet," said Dom longingly under his breath once Kel had left.

Once outside, Kel leaned against the tent sighing. If someone had told her a year ago that Dom was going to kiss her, she would have said that that person was a descendant of the Copper Isles' royal family – the one with the insanity.

"Hello Kel," said a familiar drawl. She looked up and saw Neal bounding up to her. "How's my annoying cousin?" She peered at him, trying to figure out if he knew anything, but concluded that apart from knowing that Dom HAD kissed her the other day and she had refused him, knew nothing.

"He's fine. I'm going back to my camp now." Neal nodded, and almost strangled him in exasperation, but instead just left Neal to look after Dom.

* * *

Later that night, Kel was at her camp. Everyone else had gone to bed and she was sitting outside cleaning some pots by the fire. Suddenly, she heard a rustle by the bushes. She looked up startled and saw a shadow, but then sighed when she saw the person that stepped into the firelight. It was Dom. She looked at him and their eyes locked. Kel swallowed.

"Hello," she managed to get out.

"Hello," he responded, smiling at her.

"You came all the way over here," Kel said, standing up, still holding the pots.

"I couldn't stay away." The sound of his voice made shivers go up her spine and she stepped towards him. He stepped at the same time, and his mouth was on hers. She dropped the pots and they clattered on the rocks. She didn't care. All of her feeling went into the kiss, which was a fierce, passionate one. She felt like she couldn't get enough of him and every moment with him was one in which she tried to make up for all those moments when she wasn't with him.

"Who's out there?" asked a sleepy voice, causing Kel and Dom to jump apart, startled.

"It's just me Owen, go back to sleep."

"Oh Kel, good, it's just you. I thought I heard someone else. D'you need company? I could come out there."

"No! Owen, just go back to sleep." Kel stood still, listening. When she heard no further noise from Owen's tent, she turned back to Dom, who was looking at her in such a way that made her feel like he was undressing her with his eyes. It made her uncomfortable.

"Please don't look at me like that, Dom," she said, cringing.

"Why not?" he asked, his eyes full of question.

"It makes me feel uncomfortable."

"But you're so beautiful," he responded with a grin. They then lapsed into silence. Neither knew what to say and so they stood there, Dom staring at the ground and Kel with her arms across her chest.

"Uum," started Kel, "How's your foot?" Dom looked up.

"Oh it's fantastic. You know, my Meathead of a cousin sure does know how to fix up a broken leg." Kel grinned at that.

"He does have his uses, but I think he was too dense to figure out what we were doing alone in your tent for three hours." Dom laughed too, breaking the tension.

"Do you think I could do that now?" he asked, he voice husky.

"What? Talk?" asked Kel confused.

"No," he said, stepping closer to her. "What we did before that." Kel didn't have a chance to answer, because once again their lips met in a heated kiss. Kel's hands went up to his hair and she ran her fingers through his curls. Dom's hands went to her waist and shivers went up her side at his touch. He drew her closer to him so that their bodies were crushed together. Kel's head was swimming and she felt like she was on top of the world. She felt Dom's hands at the hem of her tunic, and then higher. 'No!' her mind said, and she broke off the kiss.

"What is it?" asked Dom breathlessly.

"You-you can't DO that," she said. Dom looked down, blushing.

"I-I'm sorry," he stammered. "Well, I better get going if I'm going to get back before morning." Kel nodded, silent. Dom put a warm finger under Kel's chin and lifted it up. He kissed her slowly and gently, and then turned around and left. Kel stood there with her hands to her lips, staring after him into the dark.

* * *

A/N: Okay, so I know it's short, but it just seemed to end there, you know? Plus, as an intermission, this was just a short between chapter. Hope you liked it! Please review!

Crystaltambaia


	16. Intermission 2

**The Threads of Life: Chapter 16**

**Intermission 2**

A/N: Well, here it is ladies and gentlemen, back by popular demand: the intermission. Well, I wanted to write a chapter, but right now I'm in a very fluffy mood, so it'll be another intermission. Yay! And thank you so much to all of my reviewers. You have all been so great in supporting me, and I'd like to thank my mom, and my dad...sorry, I was preparing for an Oscar there, a little ahead of myself...

* * *

The woods were quiet that time of year, the week before Midwinter. She hadn't even noticed that so much time had gone by, she had been so busy. There wasn't much time for her to talk to Dom over the weeks, let alone be alone with them, so they were content with small smiles and slight brushes against each other; every time he sneaked a touch, her body would tingle with pleasure.

Kel was hoping, though, that Dom would finally kiss her again at Midwinter; he could just say that as the only girl, she deserved someone to kiss her – or something along those lines.

Over the past few weeks, they had gathered supporters inside the walls of Mindelan in the form of farmers and children who worked in the fields and women who came to give them water. They had started quite the little rebellion. Kel looked up when she heard a sharp crackle of leaves. Her pulse quickened against her will when she saw who it was.

"Hello Dom," she said, slightly squeakily, and grimaced. Why did she always do that in front of men?

"Hello Kel," he responded warmly. "What are you doing here?"

"Patrolling," she said, a little sharply. "I got two new spies for Mindelan."

"Wonderful, but how will we know that they're trustworthy?" Kel paused at that, and then frowned. Since when had she not thought of all the possibilities?

"Well, since they have such a horrible steward, I thought—," Kel finished a little lamely. "Right, I messed up. But doesn't Neal know a truth spell or something? When they come to report, I could question them." Kel looked up at Dom, praying that he wasn't angry. He didn't look very angry, and Kel was usually good at reading other's faces. Dom just sighed.

"I guess that our supreme commander can make at least one mistake," he said cheekily. Kel moved closer, pretending to glower at him. She stopped when she realized how close she was. So did he.

"I've missed you," he said simply, looking down into her eyes so deeply that it was like he was searching her very soul.

"I've missed you too," she said in a breathy half-whisper. They closed the last distance between them and their mouths touched. They kissed each other desperately, as if it was their first and last kiss. Kel's body tingled down to the very tips of her toes and she lost herself in the kiss. Without realizing it, she found her hands resting on the waist of his breeches and sliding upwards under his shirt and over his warm body. Dom yelped and broke away from her.

"What?"

"Y-your hands are-are cold!" said Dom breathlessly. Kel grinned wickedly in her mind, knowing what made him breathless.

"Are you sure you didn't LIKE my hands there?" she asked. When she saw the expression on his face, she grinned fully. His eyes were wide, and he was staring at her, frozen from shock.

"You _want_ that?"

"Well, I'm not the Yamani lump that some people made me out to be. But not right now. Maybe someday," she added cheekily.

"You _want_ that?" he asked again, causing Kel to laugh.

"Yes! Are you surprised that its not just men that want that kind of thing. We women have feelings, also." His mouth was now opening up and down, and he looked quite like a fish. She leaned up once again and pressed her mouth against his gently. The kiss was threatening to deepen until a noise startled them.

"There you are, Dom! I've been looking all over for you." It was Neal. "And Kel," he said, seeming to just notice her and reiterating that fact that he _was_ a complete numbskull, just as she had always thought.

"What is it, Meathead?" Dom asked, sighing slightly.

"Merric found some interesting things. He wants you to come right away." Dom nodded, then looked at Kel.

"Well, I'll talk to you later Kel. And the Midwinter party is still on at your camp, right?" She nodded and sighed as Dom walked off. She _hated_ parties.

* * *

A/N: Well, an EXTREMELY short chapter, but what are intermissions for? Next chapter is probably going to be about the midwinter party and will start up some new drama...duh duh duh... hehe I'm weird.

-Crystaltambaia


	17. Midwinter Party

**The Threads of Life: Chapter 17**

**Midwinter Party**

A/N: I'm sooo sorry, it's been super long since I last wrote a chapter, but here's one now!

* * *

"Is the food roasting Owen?"

"Yes Milady, but it's looking like we won't have enough food to feed a whole army." Kel glowered at Owen, and then went back to hanging up some festive decorations on her tent. She finished, then stepped back to admire her handiwork. A small wreath made with pine branches hung on the flap to her tent, and twisted branches lined the rest of her tent. Owen came up behind her and startled her.

"Looks good. Come see the food now, then you can get ready and get dressed." Kel nodded in agreement, then turned around and followed him to the fire. It was almost dark, and the glowing red embers made a beautiful picture against the stark white snow on the ground. She smiled at her men, filled with pride at their effort in making this little party happen.

"When's the other camp coming?" she asked, hoping she didn't sound too desperate. So far she was pretty sure that the other men didn't know about her and Dom, although she could have sworn she saw a smirk on Owen's face.

"In a little bit. Go get dressed." She sighed and rolled her eyes, but complied.

Once she was gone, the little group got closer.

"Okay men, here's our plan for getting those two together..."

* * *

A few hours later, the party was well under way. Merric had managed to wangle a few bottles of whiskey off of some of the farmers he had befriended, and everyone's heads were buzzing lightly.

"Here's a thought," said Owen suddenly. "Kel, why don't you go get that lap harp you carry around sometimes, and we can have some music." Kel nodded, and got up to get her harp. Once she came back, however, something looked different. Everyone had quietly moved to different seats around the fire. The only open one was a large rock under a tree. It was right next to Dom. She wondered for a few seconds why they would have moved, but just shrugged, sitting in the open seat. She smiled briefly at Dom, and then looked up.

"Well?" she asked, "Who wants to play?" Kaven stood up, and she offered him the harp. He started by playing a fast song, to which everyone got up and danced. At the end, Kel sat down, feeling flushed and giddy. Dom looked at her, and they both grinned. She supposed she was slightly drunk.

The next song was slower. It was a love song, and the music seemed to weave among the trees, and settle down like a soft blanket around them. Kel felt her eyes closing, and hardly noticed when the song ended, such was the power of the music. She sat up, and looked at the other men. Was it just her imagination, or were the other men looking at each other far more often and suspiciously than was normal?

"I'm for bed," she said, and stood up. She tried to take a step, but found that she couldn't move. She looked over at Neal, who had an expression of glee on his face. "Was this your doing?" she asked. He blushed and looked over at Owen and Merric. None of them spoke, but then Kaven piped up.

"Look above your head, milady." She obliged, and was shocked when she saw what was hanging above her – mistletoe! And it had somehow been made so that she couldn't move. She looked hopelessly at the other men.

"Well?" they asked.

"Well what?" she asked. "What do you want me to do?" She was thoroughly confused and angry. Such a nice night had been ruined by some stupid practical joke.

"You have to kiss the closest person to you." They all looked pointedly at a spot to the right of her. She looked over and groaned when she saw who was sitting there, with a very red face. Dom. Of course, they wanted him to kiss her. She caught his eyes, and grinned when she saw them twinkling. They could teach those rowdy men a lesson. Dom stood up and moved towards Kel slowly. He leaned over and whispered in her ear.

"You don't have to do this if you don't want to," he said. Kel shook her head vehemently, and looked up at Dom. Her breath caught as his cool hand cupped her cheeks and lifted her head. He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. Kel gasped involuntarily – his touch still made her shiver.

A loud cheer caused them to break apart, blushing heavily. They looked at each other and both nodded imperceptibly. Dom leaned down once again, but this time his kiss was fiercer. He put his hands around her waist, and Kel's hand went into his hair. His hand ran up her sides and lightly brushed her breasts. She wanted to see the other mens' reactions, but that would mean breaking the kiss. Suddenly, a loud voice broke them apart.

"You were _together?_ This _entire_ time, you were together?" It was Neal, and Kel couldn't help but laugh.

"Would we be kissing like this if we weren't?" asked Dom lightly. Kel pretended to slap him lightly.

"Dom! He didn't need to know that!" Dom shrugged. Kel stepped away from the warm circle of his arms and turned to the others. "It's time to sleep now. We have a big job to do tomorrow: we start the infiltration of Mindelan. Dom, your camp can stay here, we have extra bedrolls.

"She just wants to sleep with him," someone muttered. Kel frowned and turned towards them.

"If I ever found out who said that, they will not live to see the light of another day." However, Kel was happy; the relationship she had with Dom was no longer secret, and no one disliked it."

She went to sleep that night with a smile on her face.

* * *

A/N: Okay, that was a HORRIBLE chapter, sorry, but I had to get a chapter up, its been so long. Anyway, please review!

Crystaltambaia


	18. Mindelan Take Two

**The Threads of Life: Chapter 18**

**Mindelan Take Two**

**A/N**: Once again, it's been a seriously long time since a chapter has come out. I'm so sorry! But anyway, I hope you enjoy! And last chapter I forgot to cheer about my hundredth review, so here goes: CHEER CHEER! Ahem, anyway. Onto the chapter…

* * *

The sun shone brightly through the bare trees, but the warmth did not quite reach the people who were quietly gathered by the rushing river. 

"I don't quite understand how we are going to do this," said a very confused looking Dom.

Beside him, Kel sighed and rolled her eyes. "Men don't understand anything."

"But that still doesn't explain to me how we're not going to get ourselves killed in your home town. And have you sent any reports to Raoul and Jonathan yet? You know they wanted to be kept informed of what was happening."

"I haven't."

Dom turned towards Kel. "Why? They need to know what's happening here."

Kel sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "They wouldn't approve of what I was doing. They would say that this job is best left to the Own or the Riders or something."

Dom frowned. "Well isn't it?" He was very confused. Kel let out a quiet noise of frustration.

"No. Don't you understand? They don't _care_ about Mindelan. They don't have ties to Mindelan. Their whole families weren't killed by the evil, horrible, sick man that is controlling this place. He's spreading his hatred over Mindelan, and pretty soon the entire town will be just like him. Bitter and ruthless. But those Riders or whoever don't care about that." Kel's eyes shone with rancor, and Dom was surprised. She very rarely showed emotion, especially after her family was killed. When she thought about that, she usually went stony-faced and sealed herself up.

Abruptly, she turned and sat on a rock, burying her face in her arms. Dom awkwardly approached her, patting her on the back, since there wasn't room for him to sit down next to her, and besides, he wanted to stay alert in case guards from Mindelan were patrolling.

Finally, she looked up, her eyes totally dry. Dom's eyes went wide; these people had killed her entire family and she didn't so much as shed a tear as she recalled that terrible day when she had found out.

She stood up abruptly and turned towards her other charges, who had all stood there, watching the scene unfold with utter shock.

"Well," she said slowly. "We better get going then."

"Can you explain again what we're doing?" asked Owen, with a quizzical look on his face.

"Today we're not going to go very far. Our goal is to get information, not start a battle. We want to know why this is happening and what Burchard has planned for Mindelan."

"Right," said Dom, nodding. "Let's start then shall we?"

The group started off towards the wall of Mindelan, moving parallel to the wall so that they were directly opposite the rock which marked the tunnel entrance.

"Now," Kel whispered to her men, "it is about noontime, and the guards on this south wall will break for lunch. There is a space of fifteen minutes when the walls are unguarded." All the men nodded, except for Neal, who of course had something to say.

"Are you sure your information is trustworthy," he asked, seemingly incredulous. Kel just rolled her eyes.

"If you knew Burchard, you would know that my information is trustworthy. Call it women's intuition if you don't believe me."

Neal fell silent, not wanting to start an argument, and they watched as the last of the men stepped down from the parapet to have lunch.

"Now!" said Kel, and they all made a break for the rock. Once there, the men flattened themselves against the wall as Kel searched for the tunnel.

* * *

Five minutes later, they were all alive, safe and breathing in a dark, damp tunnel. 

"Ugh. It smells like Taurus in here," complained Neal. Kel frowned.

"Don't say bad things about immortals. They can't help who they are."

"Right," she heard Neal whisper under his breath. Kel thought it sounded suspiciously like the person who had made the lewd remark about her and Dom at the midwinter party last night.

"Neal," she said warningly. "If you're not quiet, I'll tell Yuki you've been bad." The other men chuckled as Neal pretended to swoon. Watching them, Kel decided that they could rest in the tunnel for a while; the men deserved a break. After all, except for last night, they had practically been working around the clock.

"So," she heard a deep voice say behind her, making her shiver. She felt hands go to her waist, and she twisted around so she could see Dom.

"What?" she asked cheekily.

"Letting the men have a break, are we?" he asked.

"Yes. They deserve it. You know how hard they've been working."

Dom laughed quietly. "You need to know when other people are teasing you. I know how hard they've been working – I've been working almost as hard, and I'm wiped out. Although," he paused slightly, "that could be for an entirely different reason." He smiled down a few inches at her.

"You're awful, you know that?" said Kel, reaching up and tweaking his nose. He scrunched it up under her hand, making her laugh. As their laughter died down, their eyes locked, and Dom bent down the small distance to kiss her. Like always, when he kissed her, she felt like she was going to faint. She felt him open his mouth slightly, and—

"That's enough of that, you two!" said Neal, pushing them apart. "We had quite enough of a show last night." Kel turned red, and turned away, but not before catching a glimpse of the other men's faces; they were all grinning lewdly. She cleared her throat and turned around.

"Right, well, we better get going then." She turned to lead the men away, but she could feel the men still grinning behind her back. Dom was somewhere behind the rest of them.

After ten minutes, they finally got to the tunnel exit, and Kel turned to her men. Not one for speeches, she just gave them a few parting words.

"Come on men, let's win us some information!"

* * *

**A/N**: I know, I know, horrible, totally corny line, but it's a chapter up, and you like that, don't you? And sorry if Kel was OOC. I just couldn't write her today. 

Answers to questions from **unolimbo**:

Manliness of scheming (ch17): Well, how much else do they have to do out there in the wilderness?  
Dom's injuries (ch14): He just got his arm hurt, so he's actually pretty mobile. The reason he seemed like he was almost dead was because of the cold.  
Angry at Dom's rescuing her (ch13): Even though she doesn't admit it, she is worried for him, and she's mad that he risked his life for her.  
Crazy tortured? (ch12): She was a little bit, but he wanted to keep her whole, so no markings and no permanent stuff. (I know, sort of useful…)  
Purposefulness of sounding like Cleon(ch6): I must admit, I didn't do it on purpose, but to me, Cleon and Dom are very similar people, except for the whole arranged marriage bit. So I suppose that's just how I characterize him.  
Double-spacing(ch2): I suppose I should go back and fix that.

And now for a beg: If you read HP fanfiction, please do read my "How It All Began" fic and review it, because it is in sad, desperate need of reviews!

God, I hate begging. And I'm sorry for the long author's note, I know they're boring.

-Crystaltambaia


	19. Mindelan?

**The Threads of Life: **

**Chapter 19**

**Mindelan?**

A/N: I'm SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO sorry for my not updating in super long! It's just been really stressful; tons of stuff to do, finals, etc. And I know you guys probably don't care about that, so I'll just shut up, and get along with the story.

**Heartdamoose:** Wow, that was incredible! Thank you so much for that! I've actually had a person write poem for me before, but that was for flute….I must attract poetry! Although, maybe you're just super nice and take the time to write a poem for everyone; in that case, you're a very, very, very, very nice person!

**Lady11occult: **They haven't slept together…yet… That's all I'm going to say :-P

**Alenor:** When I read your review, I thought to myself 'Of course I'll have a chapter up before Christmas, is she crazy?' Now look at me…it's past the middle of January, and I'm only just writing it! I'm hopeless…

Thanks to: **Lady of Masbolle, Wake-Robin, ****Jennyvre**** Moss, Heart Kel.**

* * *

Kel was thoroughly lost.

She was in the middle of Mindelan, and for some reason, even though she had lived in Mindelan for three years, she could not for the life of her remember where in the Goddess she was.

Surrounding her were white walls, similar to the ones in the room in which she had been tortured last time she had been there. She hadn't recognized that room either.

Somehow, she thought that she wasn't in Mindelan anymore.

_But how could Dom have found me if I wasn't in Mindelan?_ she thought. Still completely confused, she kept on walking.

She was now walking down a white hallway, empty even of doors. Figuring that she couldn't get more lost if she walked down a hallway that was straight, she kept going.

* * *

Ten minutes later, there was no end in sight.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, she could feel the passageway start to turn to the left. She decided to run down it, hoping that would make her torture quicker – if she was condemned to walk down an all-white hallway for the rest of her life, she could at least get some exercise in.

Finally, after what seemed like hours – and probably was – the hallway abruptly ended. At the end was a door, and she almost thought she was imagining it, so perfectly did it blend into the wall.

Walking up to it, she started to dread what would happen if the door was locked or she couldn't pick it. She didn't think that she had the strength to go all the way back through the tunnel. Well, she went through eight years of page and squire training, so if it was locked, she could damn well do it! She had never given up.

She tentatively reached out to grab the handle, not wanting to know whether it was locked or not. After all, if it wasn't, there could be worse things waiting inside the door than a white-washed hallway. She turned the handle.

It was unlocked!

She almost groaned in despair though when she saw what was inside the door.

It was another hallway.

This time, it wasn't white. It was a sort of silvery gray. The hallway seemed to almost shimmer with life, the walls rippling. She slowly stepped into the hall, not trusting the sturdiness of the floor with it moving like it was.

Thankfully, it held her weight. She reached out to touch the walls, and gasped when she did. The shimmering substance was papery! Now she doubted the sturdiness of the floor even more.

She couldn't tell if she was imagining it, but with every step she took, the floor seemed to sag even more.

A ripping sound made her run. She was surprised at herself though – usually things like this didn't scare her.

She didn't want to fall.

After a few minutes of running, she finally came to another door, and the ripping sound had stopped. She fervently prayed that both the door would be open and if it was, the next hallway or room wouldn't have a floor that threatened to collapse under her.

The next room was made of glass.

Kel swallowed nervously, then stepped out onto the glass. She shut her eyes and forced herself to look down.

Below her was Mindelan! The entire thing was laid out beneath her like a doll's house. Somehow, she had gotten herself two hundred feet in the sky.

Maybe her enemy knew her fears. After all, she was still afraid of heights, but she could tolerate them. Kel swallowed, and closed her eyes, putting one foot in front of her slowly. The glass beneath her was thick, but she still didn't trust it.

Besides, where was she? What was this? Was she just in an illusion? Was this what the Divine Realms looked like? But she couldn't be in the Divine Realms because she had heard stories from Daine about them, and they didn't look like this. In fact, they looked a lot more like the regular world than she would have expected.

Finally, after what seemed an age, she opened her eyes, surprised to find that she was no longer standing on glass, but on regular stone floor. She sighed in relief, and took another step forward, only to fall.

She kept falling, down, down, down. It felt like she would never stop. Unfortunately, she did. The landing was soft – it seemed to have been padded by some sort of magic.

What she saw, however, wasn't near so pleasant as her landing.

* * *

A/N: Oooooh, I'm evil! Well, I'm sorry that this chapter is so short, but I hadn't even started it until not that long ago, and I felt that you deserved another chapter! After this, as per the notice in my bio, I will be taking a short break from posting (hopefully not as long a break as it was between these chapters), so that I can catch up on writing, and alsodo editing on thechapters from the stories that are already posted.

-Crystaltambaia


	20. Saved!

**The Threads of Life**

**Chapter 20**

**Saved!**

**A/N: Sorry! It's been like…four months. Eesh. I really don't have much of an excuse, except, schools really busy, and I had a draft written on a different computer, which is, as of now, broken. I also had responses written to all of your reviews. If you would like me to respond to any questions, just email me (email address in profile).**

**Here's your long awaited (and probably very short) chapter.**

* * *

Keladry of Mindelan opened her eyes with a snap. For some reason, she could not remember at all where she was, or what she was doing wherever she was.

When she looked around her, however, she groaned loudly.

She was in a white room. Again.

This time, there were a lot of things in the room. There was a white down bed, a desk that had been painted white, with white parchment on the top. There were white feather quills to write with. There was even a white painting hung up over the desk with a white frame. After this was over, she decided, she would never so much as _look_ at the color white again.

Suddenly, her ordeal in Mindelan came rushing back to her. But what had it been? She could not even remember if it had been a dream or not.

But then she remembered what she had seen after she had fallen. After that awful walk through those corridors.

* * *

_A maelstrom of images and memories assaulted her as she landed, overwhelming her already tired body. _

_She remembered everything. The memories overcame her, and she succumbed, unable to do anything but experience the pain._

_She remembered when Joren and his gang beat on her as a page._

_She remembered that awful climb down Balor's needle._

_She remembered her brother dangling her from the parapet at Mindelan, provoking her lifelong fear and hatred of heights._

_She remembered the letter from Wyldon, saying she could be a page, provided she was on probation._

_She remembered her room in the page's quarters, sacked before she even moved in._

_And she remembered the Kraken…oh! The Kraken: the terrifying beast, the mechanical monster with a child's soul._

_The incredible power of the memories consumed her, and she knew no more._

* * *

Kel swallowed back tears as she came back to reality, remembering those terrible moments after she had fallen. She realized that she was still sitting on the soft something that she remembered falling on to, but she did not have time to think before someone stepped into the door.

"Ah, it seems that our Lady Knight has finally arisen from her beauty sleep," said a familiar drawling voice.

"Dom?" she asked incredulously, then looked up.

She saw a smiling face, striking blue eyes, and curly smoke-colored hair, before she was consumed in an embrace. Kel took in the scent of him, happy for him to just be there, asking no questions. Unfortunately, the emotion was so strong that she felt tears leaking out of her eyes. She tried to squeeze them back in, but not before Dom noticed.

"You're crying?" he asked. She nodded in reply, too exhausted to try to contain her emotions.

"It was awful!" she sobbed into his shoulder. He lifted her off, forcing her to look into her eyes.

"Can you tell me what happened? We found you in Burchard's quarters. You were tied up screaming in your dreams, and he was in a trance."

Kel's eyes went wide with shock. "What!" she exclaimed. "But what about the corridors, what about the memories?"

"Kel," said Dom soothingly, "I think you're just very tired. Neal hasn't been up here yet to examine the full extent of the damages – he's down at the campsites gathering our things together?"

"Why?"

"Oh!" said Dom. "I forgot to tell you. Well, since Burchard was in a trance when we found you, we captured him. He's down in the dungeons. And the funny thing is, when we put him in there, everyone who had previously been so loyal to him, like his soldiers, suddenly came out of what seemed to be a trance. We took Mindelan with no bloodshed whatsoever. Actually," he amended, "a little man who was dressed in steward's uniform tried to run Merry through, but Owen killed him." At this, Dom grimaced, "that boy likes killing altogether too much. Anyway, that's the story."

Kel's face fell as she held onto Dom, trying to hide her disappointment. Dom didn't believe that she had seen all the things she had, and they had taken Mindelan without her. To cover up her feelings, she turned back towards Dom.

"I missed you," Dom said, and then kissed her. It was slow, filled with feeling, and Kel gave herself up to the kiss, as much because of the perfect feel of it as that it was a way to drown out her other misgivings. They finally drew apart, breath ragged, and Dom took her hand.

"I love you," he said.

Kel stared at him in complete shock.

* * *

**A/N: Well, this chapter certainly wins the prize for being the shortest and most pointless chapter in this whole entire story, and probably in the history of boring and pointless chapters, but at least it's a chapter, right?**

**Please review!**

**-crystaltambaia**


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